The Law Association of New Zealand has confirmed the appointment of its committees for the 2026-2028 term, with specialist practitioners across 18 areas of legal practice taking up positions that place them at the centre of the organisation’s law reform, submissions and advocacy work.
More than 250 lawyers have been appointed across the full committee programme, drawn from private practice, in-house teams, academia and the regulatory sector. For many, the appointment represents formal recognition of standing in a specialist field earned over years of practice.
For The Law Association the headline development for the new term is the establishment of the Banking, Finance and Securities Law Committee, which is entirely new. All 15 members are incoming. Convenor Sean McAnally of 48 Shortland Barristers leads the committee, which brings together practitioners from banks, investment firms, the financial regulator and the private bar. This includes representatives from the Financial Markets Authority, BNZ, Craigs Investment Partners and ASB. The committee fills a gap in The Law Association’s specialist coverage of a sector that sits at the intersection of regulatory change, capital markets and commercial practice.
Clayton Kimpton, Chief Executive of The Law Association, welcomed the incoming cohort.
“Our committees comprise some of the country’s most knowledgeable and respected legal practitioners, and appointment carries significant professional standing and recognition. It is a genuine mark of professional acknowledgement, and I want to extend my congratulations to everyone joining us for the next two years. Their expertise and commitment are what makes The Law Association’s work credible and valuable to the profession.”
The new term brings changes to several convenorships. Taking over established committees are current President of the Law Association Tony Herring on Documents and Precedents, Joanna Pidgeon on Property Law, Helen Gilbert on Employment Law, Joanna Beresford on Environment and Natural Resources Law, Tim Clarke on Health and Safety Law, Shi Sheng Cai on Immigration and Refugee Law, and Edwin Lim on Technology and Information Law. Amanda Hill and Phil Osborne join as co-convenors of the Parole and Prisoner Rights Law Committee.
Continuing in their convenor roles are Gary Hughes on the AML/CFT Law Committee, with Claudia Shan as Deputy Convenor, Julie-Anne Kincade KC on the Criminal Law Committee, Alissa Bell and Stuart Cummings as co-convenors of the Family Law Committee, Professor Kate Diesfeld on the Mental Health and Disability Law Committee, Mingze Sun on the NextGen Lawyers Committee, Todd Whitcombe on the Property Disputes Committee, current Law Association Vice-President Samira Taghavi on the Public and Administrative Law Committee, Vicki Ammundsen on the Trusts and Estates Law Committee, and Jacqueline Lethbridge on the Civil Litigation Committee.
Daniel Conway, Head of Legal Services at The Law Association, said the response to committee recruitment had been strong.
“I am overwhelmed with the number of nominations and calibre of the committee members selected for the 2026-2028 term. The level of interest in our committees was significant and the range of expertise across this term’s intake reflects that. The continued growth of our committee programme means The Law Association can represent a wider cross-section of the profession and the areas of law that matter most to our members.”
Committee appointments run for two years. Members contribute through submissions, interventions, law reform projects, CPD content and media engagement, alongside their regular legal practice.
Incoming committee members across all 18 committees will commence on 1 October 2026. A full list of committee appointments for 2026-2028 is available here.
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