In 2020, Ngāti Kahungunu built a relationship with Anderson Lloyd Law Firm and an internship opportunity was initiated.
Anderson Lloyd offered to strengthen the relationship with the iwi by investing in the future of the iwi, and legal profession by offering an ongoing internship programme.
Dunedin-based Kahungunu student James Barclay was the first intern and in November last year he joined the firm and immersed himself in the work. James said that the experience helped him to see what it's like to actually work in a law firm, which gave great insight to the work.
"The Ngāti Kahungunu internship offered by Anderson Lloyd provided me with so many amazing new skills and connections over the summer. I completed two rotations in the Auckland Commercial office, starting with the banking and finance team and then moved into the property and projects teams. I particularly enjoyed being consistently given new and exciting tasks and the type of work really opened my eyes to the reality of what working in a full-service law firm is like," said James.
"The team was extremely welcoming which made those first few nervous days a lot easier and they were always there to support me if I had any questions or felt confused by something I was asked to do. It was a great experience and I would highly recommend the summer clerkship to other aspiring lawyers from Ngāti Kahungunu!"