Updated – November 2024
The number of in-house lawyers in New Zealand has led to a growing number of previously active lawyers who now run companies and other public or private organisations.
The lawyers exerting influence within the profession are significant in both number and the power they exercise in terms of handling work in-house and briefing outside counsel for major deals.
2024 has continued to see some changes in the boardrooms with new appointments and changes from the previous year.
While the 2024 LawFuel Power List has a smaller number of in-house lawyers on the list, including ANZ’s David Bricklebank, former Bell Gully partner and now General Counsel at Fletcher Building Haydn Wong, former Fonterra General Counsel Andrew Cordner, now Chief Legal Counsel at Te Whatu Ora, the lawyers outside of the 2024 LawFuel Power List are playing key roles in their organisations continue to change the dynamic of the New Zealand legal profession.
Among the leaders are former MinterEllisonRuddWatts managing partner, former Westpac company secretary and General Counsel for six years and is currently Group General Counsel at Todd Corporation, Mark Weenink (pictured).
He also served two years as a board member at the Financial Markets Authority before resigning to join the board at Generate, the kiwisaver fund manager, as a non-executive director.
As a lawyer with a wealth of commercial law and leadership experience, Mark Weenink has an intimate knowledge of key players in the industry, as well as holding the respect of in-house and senior legal leaders.
He is the winner of numerous awards he is one of three successful legal brothers, all Rongotai College old boys, home to numerous current and former All Blacks, one of whom (Scott) has also previously made the Power List but has since moved from his role at New Zealand Cricket.
Rob Everett – CEO NZ Growth Capital Partners
Rob Everett is a former Power List member and has been CEO of New Zealand Growth Capital Partners since 2022. A Cambridge-educated solicitor, his career spans financial and regulatory work including 16 years with Merrill Lynch and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, including General Counsel Europe and COO for Europe, Middle East & Africa.
He spent CEO of New Zealand’s Financial Markets Authority. His international experience across Europe, North America, Asia, and New Zealand provides a unique global perspective. He now leads New Zealand’s investment and technology ecosystem, driving growth and innovation in the country’s early-stage tech investment market.
Matt Whineray, Chairman FirstCape
Former LawFuel Power Lawyer Matt Whineray has moved from one multi-billion dollar fund management group to another as chairman of major funds management group FirstCape.
The former manager of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, valued at $70 billion, he is to head a merger of three finance firms set to become one of the largest investment management groups in the country, with an estimated worth of $44 billion.
The newly formed entity, named FirstCape, results from the integration of Jarden’s wealth division JB Were NZ with Harbour Asset Management and BNZ Investment Services.
In his new role, Whineray will oversee assets totaling $29 billion in funds under advice and administration and $15 billion in funds under management, including $5 billion in KiwiSaver funds.
The primary objective of FirstCape is to ensure an increasing number of New Zealanders can retire comfortably.
Malcolm Jackson, the current CEO of Jarden wealth management and soon-to-be chief executive of FirstCape, highlighted Whineray’s expertise in sustainable investment gained from his tenure at the Super Fund.
Sarah Gillies, Electricity Authority.
She joined the Electricity Authority in 2019 as General Manager Legal, Monitoring and Compliance, and helped navigate the Authority through a wide range of legal, compliance and monitoring work. She has been Acting Chief Executive of the Authority since 13 October 2022.
Jason Boyes, Infratril
Chief Executive of Infratril and a non-independent director having joined the board in April 2021, he joined Morrison & Co in 2011 after a 15 year legal career in corporate finance and M&A work with Buddle Findlay in New Zealand and with Slaughter & May in London.
His past roles at Morrison & Co include Head of Legal, Chief Commercial Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Head of Europe. Jason is Chair of Longroad Energy and a director of CDC.
Belinda Moffat, Real Estate Institute
Previously Chief Executive of the Broadcasting Standards Authority, Belinda Moffat was appointed to the Real Estate role in 2020 following a career as a litigator in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
She held a senior role at the FMA and as head of dispute resolution with one of the major banks.
Mark Heine, EROAD
Former lawyer Mark Heine worked for several years for Allens in Australia and for Bell Gully and Hudson Gavin Martin in New Zealand, including working with Andrew Brown KC as a barrister before taking his role with fleet management tech company EROAD in 2015
Samantha Gain, MetLink
Samantha Gain is Metlink Group Manager, running the rail, road, ferry and transport network for the Greater Wellington Regional Council for the region including the Kapiti Coast and the Wairarapa.
Formerly working for almost eight years at DLA Phillips Fox, she also spent almost five years as president of IPWEA (the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia).
David McGuinness, Managing Director, Willis Bond
Former Simpson Grierson lawyer David McGuinness joined the firm set up by his family and which has become one of the largest property investment and development groups in the country. A sister company to the family’s former drainlaying business, LT McGuinness, both companies have become industry leaders and developers of major property projects in Wellington and Auckland.
Steve Jurkovich – Kiwibank CEO
Steve Jurkovich has been with Kiwibank since 2018. With an Otago law degree and an MBA from the University of Sydney he has over 20 years’ experience in banking, including as senior and executive leadership positions with accountabilities across Retail, Corporate, Commercial and Rural banking as well as online and legal.
His banking background has been with ASB and Westpac prior to starting with Kiwibank in 2018.
Mike Hendriksen – Chief Risk Officer, Kiwibank
Chief Risk Officer at Kiwibank, Mike Hendriksen was previously Chief Legal Officer at the bank after a legal career at Baker + McKenzie, the IRD and Westpac.
Featured roles on LawFuel’s Network >> Resource Management role, Auckland, Top Firm . . . Senior solicitor or partner – Auckland . . Commercial Property Solicitor – 5+ PQE . . . Otago based role – 2 years PQE . . . Civil litigation role, Queenstown . . more jobs listed daily
Melissa Anastasiou – Spark Legal
With Spark since 2009, Melissa Anastasiou was appointed as Group General Counsel in 2012 and to the Spark Leadership Squad on 1 July 2018.
As Executive Sponsor for Spark’s Wholesale business, and as a director on a number of Spark subsidiary boards (including Spark New Zealand Trading Limited and Spark Finance Limited (NZX Listed Issuer)) and has also played a pivotal role in leading out Spark’s diversity and inclusion programme.
Prior to joining she spent a number of years as a Senior Legal Counsel for UK mobile provider Telefonica O2. She also has extensive experience working for leading corporate law firms in Auckland and the UK. Melissa has a Bachelor of Laws from Victoria University of Wellington.
Ian Mackenzie – General Counsel, New Zealand Green Investment Fund
General Counsel at New Zealand Green Investment Fund the Government-owned green investment bank focused on reducing the country’s carbon emissions based on green investments.
Mackenzie is leading the way by keeping significant transactions in-house that might have previously gone to external counsel, recently in conjunction with Transpower’s Head of Legal Chris Birkinshaw on a joint deal. However the fund has struck major trouble recently with the collapse of SolarZero after the NZGIF put $115 million into the venture, backed by mega-equity fund BlackRock. The collapse of SolarZero, which was to install solar panels and batteries for domestic use under lease arrangements, has left creditors, including trade contractors and others, out of pocket to the tune of over $40 million and left the bank with a solid ‘please explain’ from the government.
BlackRock tipped SolarZero into liquidation in November after being advised by directors the company was no longer sustainable. With other investors, the NZ Green Investment Fund (NZGIF) had loaned money to the company to install solar panels and batteries in households under lease-type arrangements.
Yazmin Juned – Kainga Ora
Appointed to as General Counsel at Kainga Ora in September 2024 and coming from Pharmac, Juned took over the legal reins from Bruce Riden to run the legal operation at the somewhat controversial organization. Previously privacy officer and General Counsel at Pharmac she had previously spent almost eight years at Kainga Ora and was shoulder tapped for the new role.
