Nauer & Partners created “The Secretariat” from the rising need to protect Native Titled land and resources. Nauer and Partners is currently the sole agent for The Secretariat.

Since 2000. The Secretariat has undergone some name changes starting with Hapu Sovereignty to Hapu Law and in 2005 settling on the name “The Secretariat”.

The Secretariat is an administration group of secretaries organised to execute Maori Customary Law in the Courts of Law of the land to protect Native Titled lands, Hapu members and Hapu resources with a 100% success rate as of this date.

The Secretariat started with a single issue with resounding success and then realised that their process could be implemented anywhere, for any issue and has now opened its doors to those who require their skills and experience. Read below for how it all started…

How it started.

Protection of Lands
The Secretariat initially faced local district council actions of evicting elders from their resthome to sell the land on which it was situated. This was Native Titled land was originally gifted for the purposes of housing the elderly.
The Secretariat conferenced with the council and was ignored by the council, however when presented with Maori Customary Law and promised to be taken to court, the council, along with their lawyers conceded and offered negotiation talks. The offer was refused and the Hapu decided that the elders were not to be evicted and the land not to be sold.

Protection of Hapu members
The Secreatariat represented a Native Council wishing to have their whanau member withdrawn from the courts and placed under the care and jurisdiction of the Hapu. The Secretariat informed the courts of the authority of the Native Council under Maori Customary Law and the courts released the whanau member into the care of the Hapu. The Native Council took the case and heard under the hapu customs and protocols.