New Zealand Law Society - Speakers
AML workshop: Department of Internal Affairs, Financial Intelligence Unit and AML Solutions
Rob Milnes is the Principal Advisor in the AML/CFT Group. Rob has worked in AML/CFT supervision at the Department since 2014, where he has been a Senior AML Regulator, Practice Leader, and Investigations Manager. Rob was part of the project team in 2017 for the implementation of AML/CFT obligations for law firms, accountants, and real estate agents. He was also part of the Ministry of Justice working group for the Statutory Review of the AML/CFT Act that was completed in 2022 and for the subsequent amendments to regulations.
AML workshop: Department of Internal Affairs, Financial Intelligence Unit and AML Solutions
Dave joined Police 21 years ago. After five years in uniform he joined the CIB, eventually ending up investigating organised crime. He then promoted to the Financial Intelligence Unit after realising the value of financial intelligence to investigations. He is currently the Operations Manager and responsible for three teams: Data Insights, Targeting and Response & Operations. Dave has a passion for identifying and removing barriers to facilitate more widespread use of FIU information, and to ensure all New Zealand agencies make the most of this resource. Dave is also a member of the Specialist Search Group, and of the National Disaster Victim Identification team. He has recently completed a post-grad certificate in Crime Science.
AML workshop: Department of Internal Affairs, Financial Intelligence Unit and AML Solutions
Tijana is the Head of Audit & Consulting at AML Solutions, and is a CAMS-Audit certified AML/CFT professional with extensive experience in providing both Audit and Consultancy services to hundreds of New Zealand, Australian and Pacific Island reporting entities.
She is supported by a team of Consultants who assist reporting entities across all AML sectors with the development of their AML Compliance Programmes, AML Audits and Training. Tijana and her team’s focus is to provide practical guidance and expertise gained by observing trends and assisting over 1,000 clients with their AML/CFT obligations.
Tijana is a Chartered Accountant, and gained her Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist certificate through ACAMS in 2016, and the CAMS-Audit advanced certification in 2018.
AI & the Law: Latest Developments and Live Demonstration of Legal AI Tools
High-Tech Stalking: Navigating legal challenges in the digital age
With an extensive law enforcement career focusing on investigating crimes against persons, specialising in sex crimes, child abuse, domestic violence, human trafficking, and crimes against the elderly, Steven Bradley was recruited by the FBI to investigate technology and cyber related crimes.
After graduating the FBI Academy with honours, he began combating many types of technology related crimes including cyber-terrorism, network intrusions, cyberstalking, financial exploitation, and apprehending child predators. Later in his career, Steven began working with National and State Coalitions, as well as local domestic violence/sexual assault centres on bridging the gaps between law enforcement and community partners to better support survivors and victims. Steven is internationally recognized as an expert on law enforcement’s response to intimate partner violence, technology forensics, and stalking/cyberstalking.
Susan is a Partner at Buddle Findlay and leads the Christchurch employment and health and safety team. She has over 20 years' experience advising on industrial relations issues and appears for clients in the Employment Relations Authority, Employment Court, High Court, appellate courts and in the Coroners Court. Susan is ranked as a Notable Practitioner for dispute resolution by Asia Law and described as a key name among Christchurch employment lawyers who "leaves nothing to chance".
Steven Colligan is a seasoned leadership coach and facilitator committed to guiding individuals and teams towards their highest potential. Armed with degrees in Health Science and Psychology, he works with clients to harness their innate strengths to foster resilience and wellbeing in their personal and professional lives. Steven has applied his expertise in law, the health sector and education for over 20 years, collaborating with District Health Boards, Law, Government and Universities across New Zealand, Australia and the UK.
Cooper v Pinney: Clayton revisited
Rhonda is a barrister. She practices in the areas of equity, trusts, estates, relationship property, and the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988. She is a member of Clarendon Chambers and Kate Sheppard Chambers and lives in Christchurch.
Cooper v Pinney: Clayton revisited
James is a Senior Associate in Russell McVeagh's Litigation team based in Wellington. He acts and advises on a wide variety of commercial and public law disputes, and has particular experience in equity and trusts, class actions, complex litigation, judicial review, regulatory disputes and human rights. James has extensive advocacy experience, having appeared regularly before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, including in multiple civil trials. Before joining Russell McVeagh in 2023, James was a junior barrister at Thorndon Chambers. He started his legal career as a judge's clerk at the High Court in Wellington.
The interface between private property rights and interests and resource management decision making
Rosie is a Senior Associate in Todd & Walker Law’s resource management team.
Rosie has extensive experience in resource management, environmental, and local government law. Rosie has a wealth of knowledge in local planning policies and regulations, including a specialty in rezoning and subdivision proposals across the Queenstown Lakes District Council and Central Otago Districts. Accompanying her wealth of experience, Rosie is also a member of the Institute of Directors and the Resource Management Law Association.
Rosie is a dedicated member of her local community, and is a Trustee of the Queenstown Trails Trust, and former Trustee of the Central Lakes Trust.
The interface between private property rights and interests and resource management decision making
Ben is a Senior Associate in Todd & Walker Law’s resource management, environmental law and civil litigation team.
Ben has assisted on several large, high-profile developments within the Queenstown Lakes District. Ben has also appeared and presented in hearings on resource consent applications and District Plan submissions before the Queenstown Lakes District Council, appeals before the Environment Court, appeals to the High Court and Judicial review proceedings before the High Court and Court of Appeal.
Judge Beck was appointed as Kaiwhakawā o Te Kōti Take Mahi o Aotearoa ǀ Judge of the Employment Court in July 2020 and sworn in on 7 August. She is based in Tamaki Makaurau | Auckland.
Judge Beck was President of the Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa | New Zealand Law Society from 2016 to 2019 and a partner at a boutique employment law firm from 2005 up until her appointment as Judge. While in practice she acted for both large and small employers, individual employees and unions. She undertook reviews of a number of organisations including New Zealand Rugby.
Judge Beck brought nearly 30 years of practical legal experience to the bench. She has been a Convener of the NZ Law Society Employment Law Committee, a submitter for the Law Society to Select Committees on legislative change and continues to present at conferences and educational events. She is a member of Tomo Mai, the Heads of Bench Inclusion Committee Justice.
Janet Copeland is the Managing Partner of Copeland Ashcroft. With over 25 years’ experience in employment and health and safety law, Janet also has extensive governance experience having been involved in governance roles across a range of sectors including national sporting codes, netball franchises, tertiary education and local government.
Utilising Theory of the Case to Clarify Litigation
Sarah is an experienced criminal defence lawyer based in Dunedin. She has previously served on the New Zealand Law Society Branch Council and was a longstanding member of the Law Society Criminal Law Committee.
Sarah is currently on the Executive Committee of the Criminal Bar Association. She joined the Faculty of the Law Society Litigation Skills program in 15 years ago and remains committed to teaching criminal law and litigation skills to up and coming litigators.
Understanding kindness as a tool to enhance the performance of individuals, teams, and organisations
Nicki is an experienced speaker about all thing’s kindness. She does not tolerate the perception of kindness being a soft or discretionary skill in leaders and has worked with many different organisations to help them understand how to build their capacity for kindness at all levels of their workforces and systems.
As well as recently submitting her PhD at the University of Auckland’s Medical School, Nicki has a long history of engagement with primary healthcare service design and implementation. She acts as a consumer representative on several local and international boards and foundations and is employed as an associate editor at the British Medical Journal Leader. She lives in Nelson with her husband Chris, a Barrister, and their children.
Trust law update and discussion on managing common but tricky issues in Estate and Trust litigation
Matthew is a general commercial and civil litigator based in Wanaka. He practices nationally – and his main areas of work are contentious trust and estate issues, insolvency and shareholder disputes, and professional indemnity / disciplinary matters.
Before joining Bridgeside Chambers and the independent bar in mid-2021, Matthew worked at leading national and international law firms. He started his career at Wynn Williams in 2012 before joining international law firm Osborne Clarke LLP in 2016. In 2018 Matthew returned to New Zealand and worked in Simpson Grierson’s commercial litigation group.
Employment Law: Where is it all heading: What’s “working” in 2025?
Maria practises at Britomart Chambers from both Auckland and now Queenstown. Her practice is principally in employment law, professional misconduct, health law and human rights.
In the last decade, she has also been appointed to conduct independent reviews and investigations including in the health, justice and legal sectors, and for sports, media and banking organisations. Maria also sat as a Deputy Chair of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal for nine years and is a past President of the New Zealand Bar Association | Ngā Ahorangi Motuhake o te Ture. Maria also practises as a mediator conducting commercial, employment and sports mediations.
Tony is a commercial and business law specialist.
He has a strong reputation for commercial legal advice, restructuring, project finance, joint ventures, and shareholder agreements, and advising clients on the issue of securities through public and private placements. He is also well versed in property law, particularly in relation to finance, subdivisions, and development. Clients often seek Tony's advice on trust and estate planning structures.
Tony's clients include high-net-worth individuals and families who he supports with family succession planning and restructuring for intergenerational wealth transfer.
His advice is based on significant governance experience across a wide range of both voluntary and commercial entities. This provides invaluable experience advising a variety of clients in relation to high value complex transactions.
Tony joined Russell McVeagh in 2024 as the first partner of the Queenstown office. Prior to this, he was the co-founder and director of South Island law firm Van Aart Sycamore Lawyers.
John is a specialist in asset, development, corporate and acquisition finance, complex debt restructuring solutions, and export credit financing arrangements. Bringing years of international experience to his practice, John provides expert advice to major New Zealand banks, corporates, mezzanine funders, debtors and insolvency advisors. He is sought after by institutions and individuals for his sharp insight, pragmatic style and wealth of experience.
John became a partner at Russell McVeagh in 2004. He is on the Russell McVeagh Ethics Committee, was Chair of the Partnership from 2017-2019, and has also previously been Practice Group Chair for Banking and Finance.
Prior to joining Russell McVeagh, John was a consultant at the Hong Kong office of Linklaters.
Sentencing reforms: the return of three strikes and further restrictions on discretion in sentencing
Henry Benson-Pope is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at Ōtākou Whakihu Waka | University of Otago. Prior to the joining the Faculty he was a judge’s clerk to Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias in the Supreme Court, a Crown Prosecutor in Manukau and in 2020 completed an LLM as a Fulbright scholar at New York University.
Sentencing reforms: the return of three strikes and further restrictions on discretion in sentencing
Yasmin Olsen (Ngāpuhi) is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at Ōtākou Whakihu Waka | University of Otago. Prior to joining the Faculty, she was a judge’s clerk for Justice Matthew Palmer in the Auckland High Court, a Crown Prosecutor in Manukau and in 2024 completed an LLM as a Fulbright-Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga scholar at Yale Law School.