Presenters

Laura Monahan, Director, McCaw Lewis
Laura leads a team of talented lawyers in the firm’s commercial law area. Laura has extensive experience in commercial law, and advises clients on a wide variety of business matters including limited partnerships, ownership arrangements including shareholders’ agreements and share sales and purchases, negotiating and preparing commercial contracts, commercial property matters, commercial lease arrangements, Financial Markets Conduct Act issues, Overseas Investment Act matters, construction contracts and business sales and purchases. More recently, Laura has moved towards particular specialisation in the area of Māori commercial matters, assisting iwi clients to establish post settlement governance entities and make arrangements to best manage iwi assets. She enjoys working with our commercial clients to help them meet their business goals, priding herself on keeping things simple and understandable. Prior to joining McCaw Lewis, Laura worked in the corporate and commercial team at a large Auckland law firm, before moving to London to work as in-house legal counsel for a healthcare company. Giving back to the community she grew up in is important to Laura, and she is on the boards of the Waikato Family Centre Trust and the Waikato Diocesan School for Girls Old Girls Association Committee. She has recently established a local networking group for women in business in the Waikato together with Stacey Martin from BNZ Hamilton and Jan Gatley from PwC Hamilton. Outside of the workplace, she likes to spend time with her husband and two young daughters, keep fit at the gym or along the Waikato River trail, and have weekly Sunday barbecues with her sisters and parents. Laura was raised in Hamilton, returning here to join the firm in 2012, and was appointed as a Director of the firm in 2020.


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 also frequently appointed expert to make expert determinations on property and commercial disputes. 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.