Prominent Maori Woman Lawyer Passes

Prominent Maori Woman Lawyer Passes

Ngāti Whatua/Ngapuhi lawyer, Jolene Patuawa-Tuilave, passed away today at the age of 33 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Ms Patuawa-Tuilave was the Co-President of Te Hunga Roia Māori o Aotearoa (Maori Law Society), and held the role from 2008 through to the present time. Her Co-President, Damian Stone, said Ms Patuawa-Tuilave was a staunch and tireless worker for Māoridom. “She was an incredibly smart and gifted lawyer who fought, often with great personal sacrifice, for the recognition and protection of Treaty rights.”

A graduate of Otago University, Ms Patuawa-Tuilave practised law in Tauranga for five years at Holland Beckett before moving to Wellington in 2006 to work in the Māori Legal Group at Kensington Swan. She quickly advanced to Associate and then Senior Associate level before returning to Tauranga in 2009 to be a Partner at Jackson Reeves.

Spencer Webster, a Partner at Jackson Reeves said this is an enormous and tragic loss to the Māori community and the legal profession. “Jolene was highly regarded and respected by her peers and her clients. She will be sadly missed.”

She is survived by her close-knit whanau including husband, Rob, Vitolia and Lui.

ENDS

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