Toni Green was elected as the new New Zealand Law Society Southland branch President at the branch AGM on 27 March 2015. She succeeds Bill Dawkins, who stepped down as President after serving two years, but remains on the Southland branch Council.

A partner of AWS Legal in Invercargill, Ms Green was admitted in 1994, the same year she graduated from Otago University.

She then joined the firm that was at the time known as Arthur Watson Savage, now AWS Legal, where she has practised since.

Ms Green is a member of the firm’s rural team, dealing in matters such as small and large scale farming contracts, including syndication work, financing and rural restructuring.

She has been on the Southland branch Council for the last 10 years, becoming the branch’s Vice-President two years ago.

As well as her Law Society service, Ms Green has served on a number of boards. She was an inaugural director of the company which manages Stadium Southland. She has also served on the board of Sports Southland and has spent a four-year term as a trustee of the Community Trust of Southland. She is currently on the Executive of Cycling Southland and is a trustee of the Southland Amateur Sports Trust.

This community service also gives a hint to her interests, where sports features. She has competed in triathlons, half iron man competitions and the coast-to-coast event.

She has also completed nine Kepler Challenges, a 60km mountain run over the steep and rugged Kepler Track in the Te Anau area.

Ms Green is married to Warren Ruwhiu and they have three children, 14-year-old Nepia, 11-year-old Tess and eight-year-old Keita.

Following the branch’s AGM, the new Southland branch Council is Toni Green (President), Phil McDonald (Vice-President), Janet Copeland, Bill Dawkins, Paul Gray (new member), Malcolm McKenzie and Sean Woodward.