Whether Dr Meade is acting for plaintiffs/applicants or defendants/respondents, he has a proven track record of providing evidence that is rigorous, thorough, independent and incisive.

 

Dr Meade has appeared for plaintiffs on many of New Zealand's largest cases in the New Zealand High Court and Waitangi Tribunal, and has also provided evidence for both the Supreme Court and Environment Court.

 

He has also provided independent expert economic evidence for respondents in relation to multiple fast-track applications made under New Zealand's Fast-Track Approvals Act 2024, as well as in relation to the National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL).

 

Dr Meade is available to apply his proven expert evidence expertise and experience in high-value international arbitrations.

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Evidence for plaintiffs in the High Court

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• For a representative plaintiff on behalf of four Nelson iwi against the Crown for fiduciary breaches dating from 1845 - "Nelson Tenths" claim - Decision: plaintiff successful, final award pending (Details)

• For the New Zealand College of Midwives, in action taken against the New Zealand Ministry of Health for fair and reasonable pay for independent midwives - Decision: pending.

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Evidence for plaintiffs in the Waitangi Tribunal

 

The Waitangi Tribunal is New Zealand's specialist tribunal addressing claims by Māori against the Crown for breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi (see Māori/Treaty page for further details).

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• Mangatū Blocks Incorporated (Wai 814) and Te Aitanga a Māhaki (Wai 274, 283, 1489), for the resumption of Crown Forestry Licensed (CFL) land beneath parts of the Mangatū Forest, including accumulated licence fees since 1992, and statutory compensation under Schedule 1 of the Crown Forest Assets Act 1989 - Decision (under appeal): recommendation to return claimed land, accumulated licence fees, and maximum possible Schedule 1 compensation (combined award value over $200 million).

• Ngāi Tūmapūhia-ā-Rangi Hapū (Wai 429), for the resumption of Crown Forestry Licensed (CFL) land beneath the Ngāumu Forest, including accumulated licence fees since 1990, and statutory compensation under Schedule 1 of the Crown Forest Assets Act 1989 - Decision (extinguished as consequence of settlement legislation introduction): preliminary determination to resume claimed land with accumulated licence fees, with further consider Schedule 1 compensation, to wider iwi/tribe (potential award value over $200m).

• Wairarapa Moana Incorporation (Wai 85), for the resumption of the Maraetai 1 and Maraetai 2 hydro power stations on the Waikato River at Mangakino - Decision (extinguished as consequence of settlement legislation introduction): preliminary determination to resume Maraetai 2 power station, and to possibly resume part of Maraetai 1 power station, to wider iwi/tribe (potential award value between $600 million and $1,040 million).

• Wai 1718 Claimants in relation to the historical under-funding of Māori language immersion schools (Kura Kaupapa Māori Te Aho Matua), and resulting welfare losses to associated families/whānau - Decision: claim determined to be out of scope (historical underfunding and associated welfare losses valued at $245 million and $45.5 million respectively).

• Wai 745 Claimants in relation to the Wai 3060 Justice System Kaupapa Inquiry, on the economic value of judicial independence, law and economics insights into optimal judicial funding, and models of judicial funding for indigenous claimant groups - Decision: Crown has inherent conflict of interest when funding judicial processes in which it is a party.
• Wai 2003 Claimants in the Wai 2575 Health Kaupapa Inquiry regarding the historical underfunding of disability support services provided by Hauora Hokianga - Decision: pending (historical underfunding valued at $68.6 million).

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Evidence for defendants/respondents

• Assessing the economic assessments of regional or national benefits provided by experts on behalf of applicants for the fast-tracking of large-scale development projects under the Fast-Track Approvals Act 2024 - including: Delmore (housing development), Sunfield (housing development), Waihi North (gold mining);

• Assessing the economic evidence of an applicant seeking to apply the clause 10.3 exemption to prohibitions on converting highly productive land out of land-based primary production under the National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL).