Paul Beverley

Paul is a former National Chair of Buddle Findlay.

Paul specialises in public law, Māori/Treaty of Waitangi law, Treaty settlements, conservation law and resource management law.

He has extensive experience collaborating and negotiating with Māori and advising on Māori and Treaty of Waitangi related issues.  He has been a member of the core Crown design, negotiation and drafting teams on significant Treaty of Waitangi settlements, including from 2010 to 2024 on the 'legal personality' models in Tūhoe (Te Urewera); Whanganui River (Te Awa Tupua); and Taranaki Maunga (Te Kahui Tupua); and on numerous co-governance models such as over the Tūpuna Maunga in Auckland, the Waikato and Waipā Rivers, Lake Taupō and over rivers, lakes, harbours, maunga and other natural features.

Prior to joining Buddle Findlay, Paul was a senior lawyer at the Department of Conservation (DOC) and he continues to advise extensively on the Reserves Act, Conservation Act, Wildlife Act, National Parks Act and on concessions and DOC related processes.

He regularly appears as counsel in the senior courts with a focus on judicial review under conservation, Resource Management Act (RMA) and Treaty related legislation, including judicial reviews and appeals on Treaty settlements, Māori interests under the RMA and on the Wildlife Act and Reserves Act.

Paul's particular specialty is designing, negotiating and drafting co-governance, co-management and partnership frameworks between the Crown, local government and Māori (including joint management agreements and mana whakahono a rohe).  He has advised on most of the Treaty settlement co-governance and co-management arrangements that have been designed and agreed with iwi, and he advises on a wide range of partnership and relationship agreements between various Crown, local government and private entities and Māori, including in the context of infrastructure projects and the RMA.  Paul advises on the implications of Treaty settlement frameworks in law reform, policy and regulatory processes, and he acts for a number of co-governance authorities including the Tūpuna Maunga Authority in Auckland, Waikato River Authority, Te Urewera Board and in relation to Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River).

Paul also appears for the Crown in the Māori Land Court and advises numerous local authorities on the implications of High Court and direct engagement processes under the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act.

He has practised resource management law since 1994 and continues to advise on a range of RMA consenting and planning issues and appeals.