Te Puni Kōkiri congratulates Deputy Chief Judge Caren Fox on her recent appointment to this position. She was sworn in as Deputy Chief Judge after nearly a decade as a Māori Land Court Judge in the Tairāwhiti and Waiariki districts.

As a Māori Land Court Judge, Deputy Chief Judge Fox implemented key initiatives to improve the effectiveness of the Court in her districts. One such initiative was to extend her sittings to include Te Kaha and Ruatoria, to give people in those remote locations better access to the Court.

She has also worked proactively with Māori land-holders in her districts to ensure they have suitable governance arrangements in place, to improve opportunities for Māori land use and development in the area.

At the time she was first appointed to the Māori Land Court in 2000, Deputy Chief Judge Fox was one of only two women appointed to the Land Court since 1862.

As a member of the Waitangi Tribunal since 2000, she presided over the Central North Island inquiry, the largest inquiry in the history of the Tribunal.

In her wide-ranging legal career over the past two decades, Deputy Chief Judge Fox has practised law, taught it, researched it and sat on the judiciary bench.