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, where she leads the firm’s Property & Disputes Team. A former Convenor of The Law Association of New Zealand’s Property Law Committee, she continues to serve on its Property Law, Property Disputes and Civil Litigation Committees. Tina’s practice spans property, construction and litigation, supported by broad commercial and employment law experience. She regularly advises on some of New Zealand’s largest property development projects, combining transactional expertise with practical insight into disputes that can arise throughout a project’s lifecycle. Her construction practice encompasses both front-end contract advice and back-end dispute resolution, including adjudication, arbitration and litigation. Clients value her pragmatic, commercially focused approach and commitment to finding practical solutions that resolve disputes promptly and cost-effectively wherever possible. An experienced advocate, Tina regularly represents clients in the High Court and before other courts, tribunals, and authorities. She has acted in proceedings at all levels of the New Zealand courts, including matters before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. She is also regularly appointed as an independent expert to determine property and commercial disputes. Tina brings a pragmatic, commercially focused approach to both contentious and transactional matters. Her work ranges from complex property, construction, and commercial disputes to employment matters for employers and employees, helping clients navigate negotiation, mediation and litigation. A frequent conference chair and presenter, Tina speaks on property, construction, contract, and employment issues. She is a regular contributor to Builders & Contractors magazine and is frequently invited to address banks, real estate professionals and industry groups.