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MC partner Royal Reed is one of the founding members of On Being Bold, and facilitated “The Future of our Largest Industries” panel of Antonia Watson, Miles Hurrell and Neal Barclay, together with Alison Gerry, at the Bold Steps Conference yesterday. The conference continues to be an inspirational platform and this year’s line-up of speakers didn’t disappoint! All of the MC team who attended, including Kathleen Morrison, Julia Carlyon, Olivia Klaassen and Paul Cottingham, really valued the range of empowering leadership journeys that were shared. #OnBeingBold #BoldStepsConference2024 #EmpoweringWomen #LeadershipJourneys #Inspiration

Looking forward to catching up with everyone at the 2024 Environmental Compliance Conference in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington this week! The MC team speakers at the conference this year include Nathan Speir, David Collins and Brandon Watts. The team are presenting on topics including 'How to Resolve a CME Prosecution' and 'Dealing with Dishonesty'. With a focus on the latest practices, tools and strategies from leading industry experts - the conference brings together local government officers with the opportunity to connect with some of the leading minds in the compliance world - to hear the views of experienced peers, exchange ideas, review best practice and learn from case studies. Drop the team a line if you're keen to catch up! #EnvironmentalComplianceConference #ECC2024 #LocalGovernment #MeredithConnell #MC #Aotearoa #NewZealand

MC Partner, Steve Symon, has been appointed to chair a new Ministerial Advisory Group on tackling transnational and serious organised crime.  Associate Minister of Police, Hon Casey Costello, made the announcement this morning. Transnational organised crime is a significant risk to Aotearoa New Zealand’s national security, law and order, environment, and public safety. It’s growing and causing more harm than ever before. The illicit drug trade alone is costing the country close to $1.5 billion in social harm this year. ‘We know organised crime networks are now working closely together to maximise their profits and avoid detection. Coordinating our efforts across agencies means we can use all the law enforcement levers available to disrupt and combat their insidious efforts' – Steve. Steve is one of New Zealand’s leading regulatory compliance and criminal prosecutors. Over the past 20 years, he has worked on some of the most complex and largest prosecutions for numerous government agencies. His work often involves heading multiple inter-agency prosecutions. He advises the New Zealand Transnational Crime Unit (a multi-agency partnership between the Police, Customs, MBIE, and Corrections) in their ongoing efforts to combat and disrupt organised crime groups in the Pacific region. #TransnationalSeriousOrganisedCrime #TSOC #TransnationalCrime #SeriousOrganisedCrime #MinisterialAdvisoryGroup #Aotearoa #NewZealand

Last night the Fraud Film Festival New Zealand was launched at MC's office in Wellington, as part of this week’s activities for International Fraud Awareness Week.   The event was opened by the Hon. Mark Mitchell, Minister for the Police and the Serious Fraud Office, who talked to the importance of preventing the devastating personal consequences of fraud in New Zealand.   MC partner William Fotherby contributed to a panel discussion examining key anti-fraud themes, alongside Deloitte’s Ian Tuke and New Zealand Banking Association’s Roger Beaumont, moderated by Fraud Film Festival chair Paul O’Neill – providing a taste of what's to come at the festival's post-film expert discussions.   The launch event also provided a teaser of some of the conversation-inspiring films for the Fraud Film Festival itself, which takes place on 17 & 18 March 2025, at the Roxy Theatre in Wellington.   MC, Deloitte and NZBA are the key partners behind the New Zealand Fraud Film Festival, which explores the complex world of fraud and corruption.   #InternationalFraudAwarenessWeek #Fraud #FraudFilmFestival #Aotearoa #NewZealand #MeredithConnell #MC #Deloitte #NZBA

Yesterday saw our inaugural MC Golf Day, which delivered the perfect mix of fun and competition. Glorious sunshine (and a touch of rain and wild wind to keep things interesting!), the day was filled with smiling faces, great company and a fantastic atmosphere. Everyone played in great spirits, and the buzz carried all the way through to the final entertainment of the day – a nail-biting putt-off that saw Women in Sport Aotearoa take out the honours! Hosted by MC’s Mark Davies and Adine Wilson (Sports Law), Royal Reed (Private Client) and our COO Paul Cottingham. A shout out to Isabel, Sarah and Chloe, for organising the fun day. And a big thank you to our wonderful clients and everyone who joined us – making it an event to remember. We’re already looking forward to next year! #AnnualGolfDay #MeredithConnell #MC #FunCompetition #Connections #Winners #WomenInSportAotearoa

Strengthening cross-border connections and remaining responsive to market changes MC Partners John Stephens and Royal Reed attended the China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2024 in Shanghai. They were also invited to attend the official opening in Shanghai of the newly re-designed “New Zealand Central” officiated by New Zealand Minister of Trade Hon Todd McClay (pictured here in front of the digital wall at the New Zealand Business Leaders reception). With China being one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trading partners, this trip enables MC to provide valuable insights and support to our international clients. #MeredithConnell #MC #FosteringConnections #CrossBorderSupport #InternationalBusiness #Aotearoa #NewZealand #CIIE #NewZealandCentral #NZTE

New partner - today we're excited to announce leading local government specialist, Nathan Speir, is returning to MC and joining our partnership. Nathan Speir is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most trusted and respected local government and litigation experts. “Nathan began his legal career at MC and we’re thrilled to welcome him back as a Partner,” said Mark Harborow, Chair of MC’s Management Board. “Nathan joining MC is an endorsement of our position in the market as one of Aotearoa’s top law firms and the number one in litigation." “To have someone of Nathan’s exceptional calibre and reputation join the team means we can continue to expand and strengthen our offering to our local government clients. He is known in the market for his exceptional client support and pragmatic, problem-solving skills. We are all looking forward to working together.” Nathan said he’s excited about what today’s announcement means for his clients. “Providing the best advice and achieving outcomes for my clients has always been my focus. Bringing together our two teams’ complementary skills, expertise and depth means we’ll be taking our work for our local government clients to the next level. I’m more motivated than ever and can’t wait.” Nathan began his legal career as a Crown Prosecutor with MC before broadening his expertise in the commercial litigation realm and building his own successful advisory and litigation business. While his family is based in Auckland, Nathan said he usually spends part of the week around the country with clients. “Nothing beats working alongside local government teams to really understand what they want to achieve,” he said. MC has been the Office of the Crown Solicitor for Auckland for more than 100 years and is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest and most established law firms with more than 160 lawyers across the full range of practice areas. The local government team provides litigation, enforcement, public law and advisory support to local authority clients throughout the country. Nathan brings with him a bold and optimistic approach to dispute resolution. He is a trusted advisor to the local government sector and a recognised thought leader to the building control industry. In 2023 Nathan was appointed an Independent Director of Te Manawataki o Te Papa Limited, the Council Controlled Organisation that was established to govern and lead the delivery of Tauranga’s once in a generation civic precinct development. Nathan joins us from today. Welcome to the team! #MeredithConnell #MC #LocalGovernment #Expertise #NathanSpeir #Aotearoa #NewZealand

Celebrating Diwali, innovation and brighter futures! Last night we were delighted to host a special Diwali event here at MC together with Bank of New Zealand and The Luxury Network New Zealand. A special thank you to Sumant Khedkar from BNZ for sharing the significance of Diwali, its importance as a celebration of family, new beginnings and the triumph of light over darkness. Our guest speaker Carmen Vicelich, New Zealand's trailblazing data and tech entrepreneur, shared her inspiring journey in financial technology (fintech), including her impactful work in India. With a passion for innovation and fostering connections between our two countries, her insights sparked engaging discussion on advancing financial inclusion. Happy Diwali to everyone from MC! #Diwali2024 #Innovation #BrighterFutures #MeredithConnell #BankofNewZealand #TheLuxuryNetwork #Aotearoa #NewZealand #India #Valocity

How do you disrupt an entire industry from underground? Sam Wiffen, entrepreneur and founder of Wellington-based Reveal, shared his bold journey with us at our latest “Inspiration After 5” event. His company is revolutionising the way we map and understand the underground world on a global scale. We were thrilled to host Sam and a fantastic group of MC guests for an insightful evening and kōrero at our Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington offices. #MeredithConnell #MC #InspirationAfter5 #Disruptors #Entrepreneurs #Reveal #SamWiffen #TeWhanganuiaTara #Wellington #Aotearoa #NewZealand

Farewell to our wonderful MC Winter Interns, across both our Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington offices. Can’t believe it’s been three months already!   We’ve really enjoyed getting to know you and seeing your contributions, from drafting submissions to working alongside our people on a range of matters.  We hope you found it valuable attending court to see our litigation experts in action.   Interning at MC is a unique opportunity to learn from Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest litigation firm.   You’ve been fantastic additions to our team, thank you for joining us. Good luck for your exams!  #MeredithConnell #MC #WinterInterns #LawStudents #TāmakiMakaurau #Auckland #TeWhanganuiaTara #Wellington, The University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology, Victoria University of Wellington Ashe Wainui-Mackle, Caitlin Walker, Courtney Thomas, Crimson-Lily Hodgkinson, Dacoda King, Emma Austin - Mannes, Emily McKechnie, Esther Cheyne (van Maanen), Genevieve Kuan, Jack McKenzie, Jaeden Simeti, Jasmine Huang, Jimin Seo, Kara Irwin, Kiani Bullivant, Maia Landall-Blair, Mira Askari, Nasili Solo, Sofija Matijasevich