Attend and understand the legal issues impacting the Education sector. Resolve your concerns about protecting the rights of children, your teaching and your school as this conference dives into the tips to employ and the traps to avoid. Learn how to enforce contract terms, receive an update on WHS considerations and explore how you can respond to actions from the Ministry. Finish the day with a workshop that will explore how to approach staff, parents, and the public relationships and conflict.

Presenters

Andy Bell, Partner, Lane Neave
Andy Bell merged his firm, Bell & Co with Lane Neave in 2022. He is now a partner at Lane Neave, practicing in the areas of employment law, family law and civil litigation. Andy is a highly skilled advocate in the High Court, District Court, Family Court and in the Employment Relations Authority. Andy was admitted to the bar in 2002 and has amassed two decades of dispute resolution and negotiation experience.


Kirsty Wallace, Senior Associate, Duncan Cotterill
Kirsty is a seasoned litigation and dispute resolution lawyer specialising in employment law. She is also experienced in commercial litigation, medico-legal matters and local authority regulation as a prosecutor. Kirsty has represented clients in a wide range of disputes in various courts and tribunals including mediation, the Employment Relations Authority, the District Court, the High Court and a number of specialist tribunals. Kirsty enjoys building strong relationships with clients, understanding their matter and then providing clear and practical solution based advice that delivers results.


James Pullar, Partner, Taylor Shaw and Barristers
James is a Partner at Taylor Shaw and is the head of the Civil Litigation and Employment, and Education Law practice. He acts for a wide variety of clients including local and national businesses, School Boards of Trustees, Independent Schools around New Zealand, and private individuals. James regularly appears in the District Court and the High Court across a broad range of civil work, as well as in the Employment Relations Authority and the Employment Court. James is recognised as a senior litigator and employment lawyer. He advises our clients in respect of issues that arise in a workplace environment. This includes disciplinary investigations, strategic advice on restructuring processes, and personal grievances. In civil litigation, James has developed specialist expertise in insurance law, negligence, contractual disputes, as well as contentious trust and estate matters. James also advises clients in relation to matters that arise in a School environment, including suspensions and exclusions, resolving complaints, staff issues, and property matters. James is an active contributor to New Zealand Law Society programmes, including Employment Law conferences and seminars, and the annual Young Lawyers’ Mooting Competition. He currently sits on both the NZLS (Canterbury-Westland) Employment Law Committee and Special Events Committee and is a previous convenor of the Junior Practitioners’ Committee.


Jordan Boyle, Senior Associate, Dyhrberg Drayton Employment Law
Jordan graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 2014 and was admitted to the Bar in September 2014. He joined Dyhrberg Drayton Employment Law in 2016. Jordan strategically advises employers and employees on a range of employment law matters. Jordan is usually able to pragmatically resolve contentious matters through negotiation and mediation. Where matters are not able to be resolved Jordan has consistently achieved successful outcomes through litigation. Jordan has appeared at all levels of courts and authorities, from the Employment Relations Authority to the Supreme Court. Jordan is an experienced workplace investigator, undertaking independent investigations for employers of all sizes in the public and private sector on a range of issues.


AJ Lodge, Partner, Anderson Lloyd
Ashley-Jayne (AJ) advises clients in all aspects of employment law working with them to provide practical, pragmatic solutions to often complex employment issues. She has represented both employers and employees in the education sector, including from early childhood, primary, and secondary schools. AJ can assist employers, employees, and HR professionals with all manner of employment advice, including day to day management of employees, restructures and redundancies, employee claims, advising on and providing representation in human rights matters, health and safety, and employment agreements and policies. AJ represents clients at mediations, in the Employment Relations Authority, Employment Court, and Human Rights jurisdictions, as well as representing and advising sports players and clubs in disciplinary and general matters. AJ is also an experienced investigator, having conducted workplace investigations, reviews, and other independent investigations in both the public and private sector. AJ is a certified Association of Workplace Investigators member and Certificate Holder (AWI-CH) and conducts independent investigations for both employers and other organisations, including schools and tertiary institutions.


Heather Murdoch, Principal, Trollope & Co
Heather is passionate about education and has spent most of her 36 years’ experience in the law working with, for, or as an educator. Heather now leads the education team at Trollope & Co lawyers, Christchurch working with specialist schools, public and independent schools. She primarily works with boards of trustees, principals and teachers helping to resolve the wide range of issues that arise in the sector, including employment relationship matters, complaints, policy, historic claims, medical incapacity and student and staff disability. Heather started her career as a lawyer working as a Judges Clerk in the High Court of Christchurch before moving to private practice in a litigation team. She taught the litigation model at the Institute of Legal Studies for several years. As an investigator at the Ombudsman’s Office, she investigated many education sector complaints and expanded her diverse range of skills, including, investigations, quasi mediation, and adjudication skills. Heather combines expertise in education law with a practical and common-sense approach. She specialises in skills-based workshops. Heather is accredited as an Associate Member of the Arbitrators' and Mediators' Institute of New Zealand and can be engaged to carry out independent investigations or as an Independent Mediator.


Andrea Pazin, Special Counsel, Bell Gully
Andrea is an experienced litigation lawyer specialising in employment law, health and safety and education work. She is a Special Counsel in Bell Gully's industry-leading employment team. She advises on a broad range of employment matters. In the education sector she has advised ECE Centres, Schools, Universities, Polytechs, the Ministry of Education and Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology.


Maria Green, Special Counsel, Lane Neave
Maria Green is a Special Counsel at Lane Neave’s Christchurch office specialising in employment law. Maria provides clients with advice on a wide range of employment matters, from disciplinary and performance issues to restructures. Maria regularly represents employers at mediations and the Employment Relations Authority and is also engaged by employers to conduct independent investigations. Maria has 14+ years’ experience, with a background in litigation, including working for Clifford Chance in London. Maria enjoys building a strong rapport with clients and providing practical and sound advice.


Geoff Davenport, Barrister, Capital Chambers
Geoff Davenport has been a specialist employment lawyer for over 26 years. He has worked in New Zealand and overseas, including for the United Nations. He has a Masters Degree in Law, focusing on issues of good faith. He acts for public and private sector employers, unions and employees throughout the country, and commenced at the Bar in May 2019.