Our flagship CPD Day returns for you - comprehensive, efficient, and designed for busy practitioners.

Complete your annual requirements ahead of the 31 March CPD deadline with 10 CPD Hours in One Day. Build your own programme from any of the 7 sessions, with 18 expert presentations across the day, so you can focus on what’s most relevant to your practice, and leave with all 10 CPD hours completed in just one day.

Join us in Auckland, or join online from anywhere, for a concentrated day of high-quality professional learning, timely updates and practical insights you can apply immediately.

This is the only CPD programme you need to attend in 2026 - register today!

Presenters

Richard Chen, Senior Associate, Hesketh Henry
Richard advises clients on the acquisition and disposal of significant commercial property portfolios, as well as a broad range of property matters including land development, property financing, due diligence and leasing. Richard also specialises in residential property transactions, providing practical and effective advice for first home buyers through to experienced property investors and high net worth individuals on the sale and purchase of residential properties, including “off the plans” agreements and occupation right agreements. Richard enjoys collaborating with other consultants such as surveyors, planners and accountants as part of large-scale property development projects. He regularly assists property developers, financiers and investors with all property aspects of due diligence. Richard was admitted to the bar in 2014 and draws on his background in general practice and experience in a national legal firm to provide tailored advice to clients. He is currently on The Law Association of New Zealand’s Property Law Committee.

Marcus Beveridge, Managing Director, Queen City Law
Marcus Beveridge is the Managing Director of Queen City Law NZ Limited. His main areas of practice are construction and property law, commercial law, foreign investment, real estate services and immigration. Queen City Law previously won the NZ Property & Construction Law Firm of the Year 5 times and the NZ Boutique Law Firm of the Year 3 times. Marcus was formerly Chairman of NZAMI and Convenor of the New Zealand Law Society Immigration Committee. Marcus is also a regular commentator on TV, Radio and in the press regularly on assorted legal topics in NZ

Jacinda Younger, Principal, Jacinda Younger
Jacinda has been in practice since 1998, initially in general practice before specialising in criminal law as a barrister in 2001. Her practice began in Whanganui, then adding an office in Palmerston North where she stayed after the legal aid changes a decade ago. She is a PAL4 qualified legal aid provider and regularly appears in homicide, jury trial and appellant matters. Jacinda considers her strength as being a strategic thinker and that this probably developed over the last 27 years juggling a law practice, training her dressage stallion from a foal to Grand Prix (Olympic level) dressage (also a NZ first), running a busy horse stud and raising two girls who she also trains in dressage and who are national dressage champions in their own right now. " We must strategically think forward not only in our own practices in criminal defence law, but also at the wider issues of the direction our Justice System is taking, to continue to serve the vulnerable systemically disadvantaged clients not just knowledge but also humanity". Jacinda now starts to focus on the state of the Justice System in it's seemingly unjust changes in law recently and the ever diminishing population of senior trial lawyers qualified to do PAL3 and 4 Jury Trials. These concerns are amplified for her as her own daughter heads to Victoria Law school in 2026 wanting to follow in her mother's footsteps and specialise in criminal defence law.

Nicole Thompson, Senior Associate, Dentons
Nicole is a Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution team at Dentons in Auckland. She will become a Partner in 2026 (subject to meeting the Law Society’s regulatory requirements). Nicole has over 10 years’ experience in litigation and dispute resolution. She has worked on a wide range of commercial disputes, including contract, property, construction and banking disputes. She also has experience with contentious insolvency matters. Prior to joining Dentons, Nicole worked at another national law firm in New Zealand, and as in-house legal counsel for a bank in the United Kingdom. Nicole was recognised as a NZ Lawyer Rising Star in 2024.


Tina Hwang, Director, Queen City Law
Tina Hwang is a Director at Queen City Law and leads the firm’s Property & Disputes Team. She is also the Convenor of The Law Association of New Zealand Property Law Committee, and serves on both the Property Disputes Committee and the Civil Litigation Committee. Tina’s practice spans property, construction, and litigation, underpinned by broad experience across commercial, employment, and general practice matters. She regularly advises on some of New Zealand’s largest property development projects and has developed strong expertise in construction law, frequently chairing and presenting at conferences, seminars, and webinars on construction, property, contract, and employment issues. She is a regular contributor to the Builders & Contractors magazine and is often invited to speak to banks, real estate professionals, and industry groups. Client-focused and pragmatic, Tina also acts in employment law disputes for both employers and employees, guiding clients through mediations and settlements with efficiency and care. Tina appears regularly in tribunals, authorities, and all levels of court. Her advocacy includes notable successes ranging from complex commercial disputes to saving dogs from destruction orders — with cases reaching the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Known for her clear communication, responsiveness, and practical problem-solving, Tina is valued by her clients as both a trusted advisor and an effective advocate.

Hannah Whyte, Associate, Tavendale & Partners
Hannah specialises in trusts and estate matters. She holds a master’s degree in Wills, Estates and Trusts and combines strong academic grounding with practical experience. She began her career in general practice in New South Wales before returning to New Zealand to focus exclusively on trusts and estates. Hannah advises on wills and enduring powers of attorney, complex probate and letters of administration, trust establishment and review, and succession and asset planning. She guides trustees and executors through all stages of administration and develops tailored strategies to protect family assets and resolve disputes efficiently. She also advises on governance and compliance issues for charitable and family trusts, including obligations under the Trusts Act 2019.

Janine Stewart, Chair & Partner, MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Janine Stewart is an experienced construction and property lawyer having advised on numerous complex construction projects and disputes in New Zealand. She is experienced in adjudication, arbitration and litigation. Janine provides expert legal advice and dispute resolution services in all aspects of construction and commercial property disputes. Janine is an active member of the New Zealand Society of Construction Law. She presents regularly on construction and property issues, both at conferences and to individual clients.

Güneş Haksever, Senior Associate, Dentons
Güneş is a Senior Associate in Dentons’ Specialist Commercial, Technology and Privacy practice. He advises on complex commercial contracting, technology, and privacy law, with particular expertise in privacy and data protection. He regularly supports international clients entering the New Zealand market as well as established organisations seeking to strengthen their privacy and data practices. He has coordinated multijurisdictional matters and advised clients across New Zealand, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. His experience spans major banks, insurers, global technology companies, online platforms, biotechnology firms, consumer electronics manufacturers, and state-owned enterprises. Recognised for his strong technical understanding and deep interest in emerging technologies, Güneş combines commercial insight with a practical grasp of cutting-edge legal and regulatory issues.

James Cochrane, Partner, Lane Neave
James is a dispute resolution and litigation partner at Lane Neave in Auckland, specializing in banking, finance, insolvency, company law, and insurance. He has expertise in cryptocurrency, web3 technology, and digital assets, advising on tax, asset structuring, gaming, insolvency and regulatory issues. He provides commercial advice to a diverse range of clients, from individuals and startups to multinational corporations In addition to insolvency practitioners, James acts for a number of significant credit management clients, including being a leading provider of debt recovery litigation services to an Australasian non-bank B2B lender, an ASX listed fintech / receivables management group, various building products suppliers including one listed on the ASX, and a multinational financial services provider in the automotive industry which is also listed on the ASX. With a First Class Honours LLM from the University of Auckland, he is active in BlockchainNZ, RITANZ, and NZICM.. James has been noted as a “Recommended Lawyer” in Dispute Resolution for 2024 and for 2025 by Legal 500. He was recognised for Arbitration and Mediation in the latest edition for 2025 of the Best Lawyers in New Zealand – a legal guide that is based purely on peer review. In 2023 he was named by NZ Lawyer as a “changemaker” in its 2023 Most Influential Lawyers rankings. He is ranked by Doyles as a Leading Insolvency & Restructuring Lawyer – New Zealand, 2022.

Kate Ashcroft, Partner, Copeland Ashcroft Law
Kate specialises in employment and health and safety law and is focused on providing commercially pragmatic, tailored solutions. She acts for employers across a range of industries, delivering strategic, compliance and best-practice advice on non-contentious matters and representing clients in disputes. Her background includes roles with a top-tier national firm, an award-winning national employment boutique, and in-house secondments in both the private and public sectors. Kate regularly delivers training and conference presentations on employment and WHS issues. She is also an experienced independent investigator and holds a certificate in workplace investigations from the Association of Workplace Investigators, the only internationally recognised course of its kind.

Neil Russ, Director, Russ & Associates
Neil founded Russ + Associates in 2019 as a group of senior lawyers specialising in tax and AML/CFT advice. Neil has over 35 years’ experience in England and New Zealand, including 25 years as a tax partner in a national law firm. Russ + Associates regularly works with its corporate clients, other law firms and accounting practices to meet their income tax, GST and AML/CFT needs, including tax investigations, binding and non-binding ruling applications, tax risk reviews, AML/CFT ministerial exemptions, suspicious activity reports and audits. Neil specialises in corporate and international income tax and GST issues, as well as transactional advice. In addition to his tax expertise Neil has a multi-jurisdictional background in banking, capital markets and derivatives transactions. Neil is Convenor of the NZ Law Society Tax Law Committee, a member of the AML/CFT Industry Advisory Group, author of the 11th edition of GST – A Practical Guide and co-author of AML/CFT in New Zealand – A Handbook for Lawyers and Accountants, He is a member of the International Fiscal Association and the Inter-Pacific Bar Association. Neil frequently deals with Inland Revenue and Treasury officials on matters of tax policy and interpretation, and with DIA and Ministry of Justice officials on AML/CFT issues.

James Skinner, Director, Skinners Law
James Skinner is an experienced civil litigator who has represented a wide range of clients, from individuals to companies and councils across New Zealand. He has acted in disputes regarding leaky buildings and many other types of construction cases, trusts and estates, commercial, company, property, insolvency and debt recovery, employment, sports appeals, driving offences, and some criminal charges. Over his career, James has assisted clients on all sides of a dispute, including building contractors and homeowners, employers and employees, creditors and debtors, suppliers and customers, landlords and tenants, business owners, and sports professionals. James also has extensive mediation experience. James also offers his services as an independent mediator to parties involved in disputes throughout New Zealand. James is an associate member of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand and is passionate about alternative dispute resolution.

Joy Guo, Senior Associate, Duncan Cotterill
Joy specialises in technology, artificial intelligence, privacy and data protection, and general commercial advisory work, including commercial contracts. With a background in commercial litigation (including large-scale technology litigation), she provides strategic advice on technology projects and commercial issues. Joy assists both technology vendors and their clients with procurement and contractual arrangements, commercialisation of IP, legal due diligence, and regulatory compliance. Joy also assists with the legal assessment of technology tools and developing workplace policies to support responsible AI use. Before practising law, Joy worked at Bain & Company in Sydney, advising across financial services, insurance, telecommunications, utilities, logistics, health and retail. Her combined legal and consulting background gives her a pragmatic, commercial approach to client service.

Richard Hargreaves, Partner, Wynn Williams
Richard is a Partner at Wynn Williams and a specialist insurance lawyer. He has a particular focus on liability defence work. Richard is known for his work defending other lawyers under their professional indemnity policies, alongside engineers and architects disputes and complex general liability issues.

Greg James, Senior Partner, Findex
Greg has over 25 years of tax structuring and consulting experience, including 20 years providing advice to New Zealand businesses and 8 years practicing tax in China, Hong Kong and New York. Prior to joining Findex, Greg held various senior positions with PwC. He prides himself on being able to communicate intricate tax law and regulations, into easy to understand and practical advice, continually adding value to his clients. Greg specialises in providing advice to: Private equity and venture funds; Startups; International groups; Entrepreneurs and Property developers and investors.

Chris Linton, Principal, Beacon Law
Chris is a senior corporate/commercial and technology specialist. She advises New Zealand and international corporates, and public sector clients, on their terrestrial and online businesses. This includes technology projects (from strategy, procurement and implementation through to dispute resolution), blockchain, crypto and fintech businesses (advising start-ups and investors); M&A, joint ventures, strategic alliances, venture capital, and gaming (and related regulatory advice). Before joining Duncan Cotterill, Chris was a partner at national law firm in Wellington and a specialist commercial law firm in Auckland. She also worked in London with leading global firm, Linklaters doing cross border M&A, joint ventures and financing. Chris is the Honorary Consul for Finland in Auckland, President of the New Zealand Scandinavia Business Association, and a member of Fintech NZ.

Matthew Ferrier, Partner, MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Matthew acts for both private and public sector clients on a broad range of complex and high-profile disputes. He is an experienced advocate, with a particular interest in major latent building defect litigation, and a regulatory investigations and prosecutions specialist. His recent experience includes acting on two of New Zealand’s largest, most complex latent defect claims involving novel structural and fire defects, claims arising from the Canterbury earthquake sequence, defending regulatory investigations and prosecutions brought by various regulators, Coronial inquiry work, fraud recovery, and public law litigation.

David Nowak, Director, Henry Hughes IP
David is a Registered Patent Attorney in Australia and New Zealand and a Director of Henry Hughes IP Ltd. He joined Henry Hughes in 2009, following his role as a Senior Patent Examiner at the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand. David is an experienced IP specialist. He is expert in all matters relating to the Patents Act 2013 and contributes to the LexisNexis publication on the Act. A particular area of interest is patentable subject matter in the life sciences, a topic on which he has spoken internationally. David was named a 2025 IP Star by Managing IP Magazine and is listed in the IAM Patent 1000 for New Zealand practitioners. David graduated from the University of Auckland in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science (Biological Sciences) and in 2007 with a Bachelor of Laws.

Philip Shackleton, Partner, Meredith Connell
Phil is a lead partner in MC’s Insolvency, Recoveries and Enforcement Group and one of New Zealand’s most experienced banking, finance and insolvency litigators. He and his team act for creditors, private insolvency practitioners and the public sector, including the Official Assignee. For 21 years, Phil has had lead roles in some of New Zealand’s most important insolvency cases, including the precedent-setting Debut Homes litigation, the first time the Supreme Court considered the issue of director’s duties. Phil's particular expertise includes receiverships, liquidations, security enforcement, priority disputes, shareholder disputes, banking litigation and debt recovery.

Shi Sheng Cai, Partner, Ashcroft Mitchell McGregor
Shi Sheng Cai (Shoosh) is a Partner at Ashcroft Mitchell McGregor and regularly acts for employers to help with immigration matters. He has over 9 years of work experience in the immigration sector including experience in the areas of global mobility, corporate immigration, investor migration and expertise with complex New Zealand immigration matters. Shoosh is a member of the Law Association Immigration Committee and is an author for Thomson Reuters Human Rights Law resource. You will find Shoosh "a great guy to deal with". He enjoys working with government officers and is a critical thinker with an insightful legal mind.

Pooja Sundar, Partner, Dalley Sundar
Pooja Sundar is a leading immigration and family lawyer known for her expertise in complex matters involving migrants, refugees, and families navigating sensitive legal and immigration issues. She holds a Master of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Auckland and is a Legal Aid–registered practitioner. Her work spans all areas of immigration law - from visas and residence appeals to refugee and protection claims - alongside family proceedings where immigration and family-violence issues intersect. Pooja combines deep legal expertise with strong cultural intelligence and is frequently called on for high-stakes and precedent-setting matters. She has driven reform on family-violence visa processes and trauma-informed refugee interviews, while her pro bono work has enabled many migrants and survivors of family violence to secure safety and lawful status. A member of several professional and community bodies, Pooja is widely regarded as a leading voice in the evolution of New Zealand’s immigration system.

Genevieve Haszard, Barrister, Kate Sheppard Chambers
Genevieve is a barrister based in Tauranga and Member of Kate Sheppard Chambers. She sits on the New Zealand Bar Association | Ngā Ahorangi Motuhake o te Ture Council and is one of the Association’s four Vice-Presidents. She is also a member of the Association’s Family Trusts and Estates Committee. Admitted in 2000, Genevieve is an experienced civil barrister and undertakes Family, Trust and Estate litigation, including appeals.

Jennifer Caldwell, Partner, Buddle Findlayx
Jennifer is recognised as a leading New Zealand lawyer in the resource management, environmental and infrastructure sector, with over 30 years' experience acting as a strategic adviser and advocate on numerous complex consent and designation projects, as well as statutory planning processes. Her recent areas of focus have been fast-track consenting under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024, as an Associate Panel Convener appointed by Cabinet, and leading her second professional services alliance (as Programme Director for the Supporting Growth Alliance) to the successful delivery of over 60 transport designations to support Auckland's future growth. Jennifer has been activity advising a range of clients and sector groups on the implications and mechanics of RMA reform, and has developed a particular interest in spatial planning as a means of aligning infrastructure planning and implementation with investment.

Campbell McKenzie,  Director, Incident Response Solutions
Campbell is the Founder and Director of Incident Response Solutions Limited, providing forensic, cyber security and crisis management services. He was previously a Director at PwC New Zealand, where for 12 years he led the national forensic technology practice and the Auckland cyber security practice. Prior to PwC, Campbell was a founding member of the NZ Police Electronic Crime Laboratory. As an expert witness, he specialises in electronic investigations, cybercrime incident response and eDiscovery matters. Recognised by both the District and High Courts of New Zealand as a forensic technology expert, Campbell has also been appointed as an independent expert by the High Court. Understanding the cyber risks facing law firms, he authored the Cyber Security Guide for NZ Law Firms in 2020, a practical resource to help lawyers and firms manage their cyber security risk. Understanding the cyber risks facing law firms, he authored the Cyber Security Guide for NZ Law Firms in 2020, a practical resource to help lawyers and firms manage their cyber security risk. More recently, he launched CyberSafeHQ, and online learning management system, which includes a specialist course for Lawyers.

Daniel Vincent, Director, Cullinane Steele Ltd
Daniel specialises in complex family litigation, often involving international and cross-border issues. He appears regularly in appellate jurisdictions, most recently in respect of the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction, as well as in relationship property and trust matters. In addition to his private practice, he also maintains a busy Lawyer for Child practice. He has over 20 years’ experience in litigation and is an experienced advocate in both appellate and trial contexts. Previously a partner at Thomas Dewar Sziranyi Letts and Cullinane Steele, he now practices as a barrister in Wellington.

Victoria Argyle, Special Counsel, AJPark Law
Victoria is a member of the litigation team at AJ Park and brings to her role a unique blend of scientific expertise and legal acumen. She holds a PhD in inorganic chemistry, a bachelor’s degree in law, and is a registered patent attorney. Utilising her science background, Victoria particularly enjoys learning about new and emerging technologies, and assisting clients in resolving patent related disputes. This can include challenging a competitor’s patent in New Zealand or overseas or working with clients to defend or enforce their patent rights. Prior to joining AJ Park, Victoria served as an employed barrister at Andrew Brown KC, where she acted as Junior Counsel on patent opposition and revocation matters, and trade mark opposition matters. Her role included providing general patent advice concerning possible infringement and regulatory matters, assisting clients with filing and prosecuting trade mark applications through to acceptance, maintaining trade mark registrations, and providing advice to clients concerning copyright, the Fair Trading Act and passing off. Prior to this, Victoria worked as a Patent Attorney at Baldwins (now AJ Park) in the Chembio team, giving her experience in the prosecution of patent applications through to acceptance and grant. Contributing to the IP industry, Victoria is a committee member for the New Zealand Intellectual Property Association (NZIPA) and New Zealand Law Society (NZLS) IP.