Gwen replaces Sue Moroney, who had been in the role for almost eight years and left to focus on her newly-elected role as a Hamilton City Councillor.

Gwen most recently held a senior in-house role as General Manager of Governance and Legal at Waikato-Tainui, where she has led high-value contract negotiations, complex legal and compliance work, and law reform initiatives leading to her being recognised as one of NZ Lawyer’s 24 most influential lawyers in 2024.

She holds an LLB/BA from the University of Auckland, has been a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand since 1998, and recently completed a Master of Information Governance from the University of Auckland with First Class Honours, deepening her expertise in complex regulatory frameworks, data privacy, information ethics, cybersecurity, and AI regulation.

Gwen has also previously served as Chair of the Charities Registration Board, a board member of Tourism Bay of Plenty, the Home of Cycling Avantidrome, and a national board member of RNZSPCA, for which she received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 2012.

Sue was elected to the Hamilton City Council in October 2025 and remained with CLCA in a part-time capacity while a recruitment process was undertaken for the new CEO.

Background

24 Community Law Centres work out of over 140 locations across New Zealand to provide free legal help and advice to those who are unable to pay for a private lawyer or who do not have access to legal aid. This advice covers all aspects of New Zealand’s legal system, including family law, employment issues, housing problems, consumer advice, and criminal law. As well as around 230 staff, Community Law’s services are boosted by over 1,200 volunteer lawyers who run clinics and deliver free advice and assistance.