There's been questions raised about the purpose of tikanga - and the role it should play in the rule of law.

Senior King’s Counsel Gary Judd has filed a complaint to the Government’s Regulations Review Committee over incoming compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students.

Judd claims he filed this complaint because up until now, the curriculum for lawyers has been made up of what he described as "proper law subjects", such as criminal law and the law of torts.

Victoria University law lecturer Māmari Stephens says tikanga Māori can be found in a majority of areas, including employment law.

"There are a number of employment law contracts, or agreements, that teach tikanga Māori as values or principles that the employer is expected to uphold - that's actually a result of negotiation."

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