Held at Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand in Wellington today and tomorrow, the conference is the largest gathering of in-house lawyers in New Zealand and provides an opportunity to share ideas, discuss challenges and learn from fellow in-house counsel while building professional networks.

This year attendance is at a record high, with nearly 400 people registered to attend and more than 330 people having downloaded the event app.

One of the sessions that has drawn particular interest today has been the opening address from Megan Main, Deputy Secretary, Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ), Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE). Megan spoke about establishing MIQ in record speed, which really speaks to the theme of the conference this year.

The theme for this year’s ILANZ Conference is ‘Tūhura | Discover’. ILANZ Manager Anita Rhodes says “We felt this was a fitting theme as we are all still discovering our new normal.

“We’ve all been navigating uncertainty and disruption for the past year, and we’ve been discussing some of the current issues and what they mean for us as in-house lawyers.

“Topics we’ll be canvassing in remaining sessions will include legal, practice management and soft skills, understanding that uncertainty will be part of the way we operate for the foreseeable future.”

The conference has another day of sessions to go and will finish up tomorrow with the ILANZ Awards and Gala Dinner.

“Anticipation is building for the upcoming announcement of the winners,” says Anita. The finalists for the award categories are:

Artemis Executive Recruitment In-house Innovation Award

• Powerco Legal Team, Powerco
• Silver Fern Farms Legal Team, Silver Fern Farms 
• Xero Legal Team, Xero Limited

MAS Young In-house Lawyer of the Year Award

• Charlotte Moll, Senior Legal Counsel, Warren and Mahoney
• Emma Biggs, Legal Business Partner, Spark New Zealand
• George Grainger, Legal Counsel, Wellington City Counsel
• Jeremy Smith, Legal Counsel, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
• Nathan Watt, Senior Lawyer, OceanaGold
• Nicolette Luke, Senior Legal Counsel, Cigna Life Insurance

ILANZ Public Sector In-House Lawyer of the Year Award

• Beth Keightley, General Counsel, Wellington City Counsel
• Simon Johnson, General Counsel, Te Herenga Waka University of Wellington

Greenwood Roche Private Sector In-house Lawyer of the Year Award

• David Milton Browne, Senior Solicitor & Legal Team Manager, Otago Southland Employers’ Association
• Hayley Cassidy, Executive Chief General Counsel, Bank of New Zealand
• Melissa Anastasiou, General Counsel, Spark New Zealand

Chapman Tripp In-house Legal Team (private or public, large or small) of the Year Award

• 2degrees Legal Team, Two Degrees Mobile
• Air New Zealand Legal Team, Air New Zealand
• Airways Legal Team, Airways Corporation of New Zealand
• Customs Legal, New Zealand Customs Service
• Spark Legal Team, Spark New Zealand

AUT Law School Community Contribution Award

• Maria Sopoaga, Solicitor, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Auckland Council
• Vicky Lee, Senior Corporate Counsel, Two Degrees Mobile