Sarah Ongley moves to Bank Chambers

Sarah Ongley has commenced practice as a barrister and has joined Susan Hughes QC, Keryn Broughton and Turitea Bolstad at New Plymouth's Bank Chambers. Sarah was admitted in September 1993 and is experienced in environment and local government law. Her experience includes working at two of New Zealand's largest law firms and…

Wilson McKay senior associate appointed

Auckland law firm Wilson McKay has appointed Tina Wilson as a senior associate. Tina was admitted in 1982 and has been a solicitor at Wilson McKay for a number of years. She specialises in trust and estate administration and property law.

Belinda Moffat leaving FMA

The head of the Financial Market Authority (FMA) enforcement team, Belinda Moffat, is leaving the regulator after three and a half years. Ms Moffat joined the FMA in March 2012 in its establishment phase, with a mandate to complete the its finance company investigations and to build the FMA's enforcement capability. Before…

Helen Cull QC reappointed Chief Commissioner

Helen Cull QC has been reappointed Chief Commissioner for the Transport Accident Investigation Commission. Wellington Queen's Counsel Peter McKenzie has been appointed Deputy Commissioner. Businessman Stephen Davies Howard has been appointed a Commissioner, joining current Commissioner Wellington barrister Jane Meares. Transport Minister Simon Bridges says Helen Cull has been in the role…

Gibson Sheat and Logan Gold Walsh merge

Lower Hutt and Wellington-based Gibson Sheat has merged with Wairarapa-based Logan Gold Walsh, from 1 August 2015. The new firm is known as Gibson Sheat Lawyers. A statement from the new firm says the two have already had a close working relationship, each with staff members that had previously worked in the…

New Partner for Meredith Connell

Meredith Connell has appointed Leo Farmer as a partner in its Auckland office. Mr Farmer was admitted in February 2006 and began working with Meredith Connell. He now leads the firm's work for the Commerce Commission in its investigation into backs for breaches of the Fair Trading Act. Specialising in commercial litigation,…

Auckland Coroner appointed

Auckland barrister Debra Bell has been appointed a coroner. Ms Bell fills the vacancy creatred when Judge Deborah Marshall was appointed Chief Coroner earlier in 2015. She joints the four other coroners serving Auckland. Admitted as a barrister and solicitor in January 1998, Ms Bell has practised as a barrister sole since…

Judge Neil MacLean to deliver Harkness Henry Lecture

New Zealand's first Chief Coroner (recently retired), Judge Neil MacLean will deliver this year's Harkness Henry Lecture at the University of Waikato on Tuesday, 8 September 2015. Entitled "The Vision and the Reality", Judge MacLean's address will include reflections on the origins and development of the office of Coroner, 15 years…

Former Bankside Chambers member succeeds at Oxford

Auckland's Bankside Chambers has announced that a former Bankside barrister, Mark Tushingham, has performed with great distinction in the latest BCL exam results announced by Oxford University in England. Bankside says Mark was only one mark off the top prize for the highly respected postgraduate law degree.

David Flacks appointed to NZVIF board

Auckland lawyer David Flacks has been appointed to the board of the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund Ltd Mr Flacks is also a member of the Takeovers Panel, a director of Vero Insurance NZ Ltd, and chair of the New Zealand Markets Disciplinary Tribunal. He was admitted as a barrister and solicitor…