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Kōrero: Bar News
Bank Chambers
Rhiannon Stannard has started practising as barrister sole specialising in family law at Bank Chambers New Plymouth.
Her career has included working as a clerk for Auckland-based boutique construction law practice Adina Thorn Lawyers, before returning to her home in Taranaki as family and employment lawyer for Taranaki firm Till Henderson Lawyers, and as an associate at Govett Quilliam, New Plymouth.
Her practice includes working with clients with childcare, contact and guardianship disputes, relationship property matters (including separation and protection of assets), estate and trusts litigation, paternity matters, family violence disputes and appeals. Rhiannon is an approved lawyer for child and lead legal aid provider. She is a confident court advocate with experience in the Family and District Courts, the High Court, and the Court of Appeal.
In her spare time Rhiannon volunteers as a board member for Taranaki Women's Refuge, and is a council member of the Taranaki Branch of the Law Society, and at Citizens Advice Bureau.
Bankside Chambers
New members
Earlier this year we were delighted to announce Matanuku Mahuika and Tiana Epati joined Bankside – a rare occurrence of a husband and wife duo joining chambers, each running their own practice.
Tiana undertakes regulatory advice and proceedings for Crown entities and private clients, including inquiry work and civil work, particularly in the Māori commercial field. She has recently served as President of the NZLS and is the first Pasifika, and one of the youngest, people to do so. Tiana is a member of the Serious Fraud Office Prosecution Panel and Crown Solicitors Panel.
Matanuku is a leading Māori lawyer who has presented arguments as counsel in five Supreme Court hearings in the last three years alone. He has been appointed to several public reviews including Chair of the Ministerial Panel to review the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, and was chosen by the Prime Minister, to review the Intelligence and Security Act 2017, alongside former Supreme Court Judge Sir Terence Arnold KC.
In July Josh Suyker and Nic Lawrence became barristers sole and members of chambers. Josh works on a wide range of commercial disputes, including insolvency litigation, regulatory investigations, and contractual disputes. After working at the Office of Human Rights Proceedings, Josh joined Bankside in July 2021 as an Employed Barrister for Sam Lowery.
Nic Lawrence became a senior associate in Wynn Williams’ dispute resolution team in 2019. Since 2020 he has juniored for Bob Hollyman KC at Shortland Chambers and Jeremy Johnson at Bankside. Nic's areas of practice include contract and commercial disputes, financial and securities law, relationship property, trusts and estate disputes, insolvency law, property disputes and judicial review.
In June, Kelly Quinn was one of 18 barristers sole to be appointed King's Counsel. With a legal career spanning 30 years, Kelly is one of New Zealand’s leading construction law specialists. Kelly has been appointed as arbitrator on domestic and international disputes, and as an expert for the purposes of expert determination. In 2022 he was awarded the Sir Ronald Davison Prize for excellence in award writing in the AMINZ Fellowship examination. Learn more
Peter Watts KC is the first New to have graduated with a Doctor of Civil Law, earned by examination, rather than received as honorary. The higher doctorate was awarded by the University of Oxford in recognition of Peter’s excellence in academic scholarship, and based on the assessment of 12 of his publications on the law of agency written over 20 years.
Bankside Singapore is delighted to announce its expansion with Member Andrew Grant and Associate Members Robert Heath KC and Sally Trafford Bankside Singapore now has 15 expert barristers, arbitrators, and mediators who are available for appropriate engagements in Singapore and the surrounding region. Learn more at bankside.co.nz/singapore
Kate Sheppard Chambers
Kate Sheppard Chambers welcomes several new members.
Marianne Mackintosh (LLB, LLM, MPhil (Nottingham University) admitted in 2000) recently joined Kate Sheppard Chambers. Marianne specialises in environmental and resource management law. She commenced practice at Chen Palmer in Wellington before taking up a posting as an academic in Wales. After returning to New Zealand, she joined Tompkins Wake as a solicitor in 2006 and resigned from the Partnership to join the Bar in 2022.
Sarah Ongley, admitted September 1993, commenced her career in Wellington firms DLA Piper and Chapman Tripp. Specialising in environmental and local government law, she moved to the Ministry for the Environment in 1999, working on significant resource management reform and leading a team of solicitors providing advice on the Climate Change
She has worked as in house counsel and as a consultant. Sarah joined Bank Chambers with Susan Hughes KC and (now Judges) Keryn Broughton and Turitea Bolstad.
Still based in New Plymouth, Sarah’s practice is primarily in the areas of environmental and local government law, and she regularly appears before the Environment Court. She is an accredited RMA Hearings Commissioner for local authority hearings and a Ministerial-appointed Freshwater Commissioner as well as a Trustee of the New Zealand Native Forest Restoration Trust.
Ella Tait specialises in employment and human rights law. She has particular experience working in sensitive subject areas including discrimination, interference with privacy, sexual harassment, and abuse. Ella has previously held specialist employment law, litigation and investigative roles in both private practice and the public sector. Most recently before joining the independent bar in 2023, she held senior roles at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, and the Office of Human Rights Proceedings. Ella is
Abigail van Echten began her career at Crown Law, before prosecuting at Luke Cunningham Clere. She has argued appeals and was lead or sole counsel prosecuting jury and Judge-alone trials involving gun violence, sexual violence, drugs and fraud. She advises and appears on disciplinary matters, health and safety proceedings and other regulatory matters. Abigail has a particular interest in the Coroners Court and is currently appointed as Counsel Assisting the Court in relation to the Masjidain (Mosque) Inquiry.
Abigail is based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington, but accepts instructions nationwide and regularly appears in courts throughout Aotearoa.
Mills Lane Chambers
Simon Cogan (admitted October 2001) has moved from Quay Chambers to Mills Lane Chambers. He specialises in commercial litigation, fraud and financial crime, criminal proceeds, and extradition.
David Friar has joined Mills Lane Chambers. David’s practice incorporates a broad range of commercial disputes, including class actions, insurance litigation, property disputes, directors' duties, and corporate and insolvency disputes.
Before moving to the bar, David was a litigation partner at Bell Gully for 11 years, including a number of years as head of the litigation department. Prior to that, David was an associate in the litigation department of Paul Weiss in New York for six years, and he began his career at Kensington Swan in Wellington. He has an LLM from Columbia University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar and a James Kent Scholar.
Jacob Parry (admitted October 2009) has joined Mills Lane Chambers from Meredith Connell where he was a partner in the regulatory group. He specialises in regulatory and criminal litigation. After beginning his career with Ford Sumner, he worked from 2013 to 2016 at the UK Government Legal Department in London and joined Meredith Connell upon returning to New Zealand in November 2016.
109 Chambers
NZBA members Martin Dillon, Kaleb Whyte and Danielle Young have formed 109 Chambers along with Hayley Carson and Bolivia Newton. They welcome incoming members Kerry Hadaway and Jonathan Myers. A new chambers with a predominantly criminal focus directly overlooking the Hamilton District and High Courts on Anglesea Street, Hamilton.
Quay Chambers
Belinda Johns has joined Quay Chambers. Belinda is a respected medical law specialist. She has spent most of her 25-year legal career honing her expertise in our unique health care sector, appearing regularly before specialist tribunals and courts throughout New Zealand. She prosecutes and defends health professionals before the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. She routinely appears in the High Court, at coronial inquests and before the Human Rights Review Tribunal.
Richmond Chambers
Nick Malarao has joined Richmond Chambers. Nick has extensive litigation experience across civil, commercial, tax and regulatory disputes, with particular expertise in company and insolvency law. He has argued a number of the leading cases in the area of directors’ duties, including the Debut Homes matter before the Supreme Court.
Nick joined the independent bar in July 2024. Prior to this, he was a senior commercial litigation partner at Meredith Connell, having joined the firm in 2000 and becoming a partner in 2010. In 2018, he served as a member of the government’s Tax Working Group, chaired by Sir Michael Cullen.
Shortland Chambers
In June 2024, Samantha (Sam) Wilson joined Shortland Chambers. Sam is an experienced litigator who acts in a wide variety of family and civil matters, with particular experience and interest in relationship property and trust disputes. Prior to joining Shortland Chambers, Sam was an employed barrister to Vivienne Crawshaw KC and, before that, practised for a number of years at a commercial litigation and arbitration firm in London.
In late June, the Attorney General announced the appointment of new King’s Counsel, including three members of Shortland Chambers, Robert Stewart KC, Sarah Armstrong KC and Nura Taefi KC
In July 2024, the members congratulated Greg Blanchard KC’s appointment as a Judge of the High Court. Justice Blanchard took up his appointment on Monday 1 July 2024 and sits in Auckland.
In August 2024, the members welcomed Vivienne Crawshaw KC who joined Shortland Chambers. Vivienne is an experienced family law specialist who has appeared in a number of leading Family Law cases in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Vivienne’s practice varies from complex relationship property cases, trust law, estate litigation, to children’s cases including international and national relocations.
