Hamilton Archives - Page 2 of 5

Zane Mora

Zane is an Associate on the Dispute Resolution Team.

Zane is an experienced litigator who approaches disputes from both a practical and technical perspective to help clients achieve their desired outcome.

Zane’s practice encompasses a wide range of dispute resolution matters, with a focus on complex relationship property disputes involving multiple trusts and companies. He also has a particular interest in shareholder remedies and trust and estate disputes.

He is highly skilled in all aspects of Court proceedings, including the appeals process and settlement negotiations. Zane has appeared in the Family Court, District Court, High Court, and Court of Appeal, and is experienced in alternative dispute resolution methods such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.

Zane is a trustee of the McCaw Lewis Foundation, a charity working to support causes important to the McCaw Lewis whānau. He balances his work commitments by spending time with his family and pursuing his love of motorbikes.

Zane joined the firm as a Law Clerk in 2016 and was appointed to the role of Associate in 2020.

Please complete this Settify link, a secure online form which will enable us to have an initial no cost discussion with you about your options.

Amy Bird

Amy Bird is a member of the Property team. She advises clients on a range of property and commercial matters, with a focus on subdivision and land development work.

Amy joined McCaw Lewis in 2021 and was promoted to Associate in 2024.

Amy’s approach is practical, direct, and client-focused. She aims to take complexity off her clients’ plates by providing clear advice and ensuring they have the information and support needed to navigate property and development matters, which often involve multiple moving parts. Her goal is to make legal processes more manageable and reduce the burden for clients wherever possible.

Amy works extensively on the technical aspects of property law, including subdivision and land development matters, title issues, infrastructure arrangements, consent requirements, boundary adjustments, easements, covenants, and consent notices. She values the problem-solving nature of this work and the visual and spatial elements involved in property and development projects.

Amy is a member of the New Zealand Law Society and the Property Law Section, and is involved with the Property Council New Zealand Central Events Committee.

Outside of work, Amy enjoys spending time with whānau and friends, walking her dogs, travelling, reading, and taking time to switch off.

Chantelle Holland

Chantelle is an Associate in our Workplace Law and Dispute Resolution Teams.

Chantelle has experience across a range of practice areas, specialising in both employment law and relationship property.

Chantelle assists employers and employees with various issues, often representing clients in mediation and also having acted as an independent investigator.

Chantelle advises clients on all areas of relationship property law, whether that entails drafting or providing independent advice on Contracting Out Agreements (often referred to as a “pre-nup”) or assisting clients who are going through a separation to resolve property issues.

Prior to joining McCaw Lewis Chantelle gained experience in law firms in Cambridge and Auckland and volunteered as a caseworker at Community Law Waikato.

Chantelle joined McCaw Lewis as a Law Clerk in 2018 and was promoted to Associate in 2024.

Please complete this Settify link, a secure online form which will enable us to have an initial no cost discussion with you about your options.

Katia Holland

Katia is an Associate in our Commercial Team.

Her working relationship with clients is founded in adopting a collaborative approach, working closely with them to understand their values and aspirations to best achieve their business goals. She thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to think strategically and solve complex issues to help businesses succeed.

Katia’s career is deeply motivated by the opportunity to serve and improve the lives of te iwi Māori and the wider community. Katia is proud to work for an organisation whose values align with her own and are founded in te ao Māori. Her key strength is developing genuine relationships, which enables her to provide tailored legal advice that aligns with her clients’ values and way of doing business. She has a particular passion for working with clients who own or operate pakihi Māori with values grounded in te ao Māori.

She specialises in a variety of corporate and commercial matters including governance, corporate structuring, strategic and commercial advice for iwi and hapū, pakihi Māori and Māori owning entities.

Katia serves her community through her governance roles: she is a Trustee for the Ōpārau No.1 Block Trust and the Angel Casts Charitable Trust and sits on the Executive of Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa (Māori Law Society).

Katia is born and bred in the Waikato and completed her studies at Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato – The University of Waikato. It was an easy decision to start a family in Hamilton to be close to whānau.

She is inspired by the whakataukī, “Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe, me he maunga teitei” – seek the treasure you value most dearly; if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain. Interpreting it as giving her very best in the pursuit of excellence.

Her greatest achievement is her beautiful tamariki. She maintains balance by living a healthy lifestyle, and outside of work, she enjoys staying active, being outdoors, and indulging her passion for arts and all things fashion.

Katia joined the McCaw Lewis whānau in 2020.

Tiana Barker

Tiana is an Associate in our Kahurangi Team specialising in Te Ture Whenua Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi matters.

Tiana has a passion for excellence and strives to provide quality legal advice and service. Her approach to working with clients is highly collaborative—focused on understanding their needs and working collectively to achieve lasting outcomes. She highly values kotahitanga and provides practical solutions with a focus on tikanga.

Tiana enjoys connecting with people, assisting to achieve great outcomes, and resolving difficult situations, which often involves travelling around the motu. Her practice focuses strongly on Māori land matters, including legal advice regarding land utilisation, disputes, Māori Estates, Māori Land Trusts, and Māori Incorporations.

Her unique skills include her empathy and ability to genuinely connect with clients, alongside extensive experience in Māori land development, utilisation, disputes, and governance.

Born and raised in Kirikiriroa, Tiana completed her legal studies at Te Piringa Faculty of Law at the University of Waikato. She is a proud māmā and is motivated and inspired by her whānau and daughters. Outside of work, she enjoys connecting with whānau and friends over good food and coffee, relaxing at the beach, reading, being in nature, and the traditional craft of creating korowai.

Tiana joined the McCaw Lewis whānau in 2022.

Carmen Mataira

Carmen is an Associate in our Kahurangi Team, working with clients in Treaty settlement negotiations, takutai moana disputes and environmental matters.

Carmen’s approach to working with clients is kind, empathetic, and proactive, guided by her commitment to being consistent and reliable. She has assisted clients in the High Court, Māori Land Court, and Waitangi Tribunal, including briefing evidence and preparing cases and is a strong Court advocate.

Carmen particularly enjoys litigation, thriving in the fast-paced, high-pressure environment of Court Hearings. A core passion is the ability to advocate for justice and Māori rights, especially in hearings fighting against the Crown regarding Te Tiriti breaches. She enjoys helping whānau, hapū, and Iwi Māori, often learning about the whakapapa and history of communities other than her own. Her strengths include strong oral and written abilities, confidence, resilience, and adaptability, always being up for a challenge. She prefers in-person mahi and appreciates clients who trust her advice and value the work.

Carmen completed her law degree at the University of Waikato’s Te Piringa Faculty of Law in 2019, with a major in Te Reo Māori, of which she is a fluent and passionate speaker.

Carmen was born and raised in Gisborne and is very proud to be Māori. She is a dedicated māmā, whose purpose is to set the best example for her tamariki and show them that nothing is impossible. Her motivation is her three daughters, who she welcomed within 15 months of each other. She is immensely proud of raising her daughters while studying law, graduating, being admitted to the bar, and now balancing a full-time career.

Carmen loves to keep physically active, training daily at her gym for her mental health. She also plays touch for Waikato, which has been a big part of her life since she was young. Carmen loves the outdoors, especially the beach, and enjoys unwinding with whānau and friends.

Carmen joined the McCaw Lewis whānau in 2021 and was promoted to Associate in 2025.

Kaylee Bird

Kaylee Bird is a lawyer in the firm’s Asset Planning team. She specialises in asset planning matters, assisting individuals and families with wills, enduring powers of attorney, trusts, and estate administration. Kaylee also assists with the establishment of trusts and charitable trusts, and works with trustees to meet their ongoing obligations.

Kaylee holds a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours and a Bachelor of Management Studies with First Class Honours, and was admitted to the bar in April 2021. She is known for her thoughtful, client-centred approach and strong attention to detail, helping ensure matters are progressed efficiently and finalised with clarity. Kaylee supports clients to achieve their goals and gain peace of mind, while contributing to positive outcomes for the wider community.

Outside of work, Kaylee teaches reformer pilates, enjoys time at the beach, discovering good coffee spots, and spending time with friends and family. She is a volunteer baker for Good Bitches Baking and values opportunities to give back to the community.

Andrew Hong

Andrew is a Senior Solicitor in our Dispute Resolution Team.

His approach to working with clients is conversational, patient, and practical. Andrew’s background as a university lecturer is one of his unique strengths, as it helps him to translate ‘legalese’ into plain English, guiding clients through what can be very difficult periods in their lives. He maintains a calm temperament and is comfortable in a courtroom setting when required. He enjoys the variety of matters that come across his desk.

Prior to focusing on practice, Andrew was the Disputes Resolution Convenor and Legal Method lecturer at the University of Waikato Te Piringa – Faculty of Law. He continues his passion for teaching at the University of Waikato by coaching student NZLSA national teams and attends as a guest lecturer.

Andrew is motivated by the desire for incremental improvements—loving to learn how something works, why it works or doesn’t work, and how to make it better. His biggest achievement to date is being a finalist for NZ Asian Lawyer of the Year. Outside of work, he maintains his balance by pursuing sports, including tennis, professional balloon animal club and squash.

Andrew joined the McCaw Lewis whānau in 2020 and was promoted to Senior Solicitor in 2023.

Anastasia Cox

Anastasia is a Senior Solicitor and part of our Dispute Resolution team specialising in civil disputes as well as Protection of Personal Property Rights matters.

Anastasia is dedicated to ensuring the legal process remains approachable and easily understandable, with the ultimate goal of achieving the best possible outcomes for her clients. She also ensures clients are always kept aware so they feel secure that progress is being made. Anastasia enjoys helping to navigate and resolve complex problems for people in situations where they cannot easily navigate the issues themselves.

In her practice, Anastasia has worked on a wide range of civil disputes, relationship property, and employment law matters. She has appeared in the District Court and the High Court as junior.

Anastasia grew up in Napier, Hawkes Bay, and moved to Hamilton while she studied at the University of Waikato. In her spare time, she enjoys visiting family back home and is kept busy taking her dog, Billy, out to see the Waikato.

Anastasia joined the McCaw Lewis whānau in 2023.

Anna Humphries

Anna is a Senior Solicitor on the Property Team.

Anna assists clients with a wide range of Property matters, including residential conveyancing, first home buyers, refinancing, and unit titles. She is dedicated to finding practical solutions for clients that suit their personal needs. Her key strength is being approachable and friendly, enabling her to take hard-to-understand legal matters and make them easily digestible for clients.

Anna particularly enjoys helping a diverse range of clients—from first home buyers to retirees and developers—meaning she is constantly learning and building on her knowledge. Buying a house is one of the biggest financial decisions a person makes, and Anna takes pride in guiding clients through this stressful time by giving clear advice to make the process easier and more enjoyable. She has developed expertise in Unit Title Properties and Off the Plans Sale and Purchase Agreements, where sound legal advice at the due diligence stage is critical.

She started her career at a boutique property and commercial law firm in Auckland, giving her knowledge of both the Auckland and Hamilton property markets. She relocated to Hamilton with her partner and is proud of successfully adjusting to a new job and life in a new city.

She is motivated and inspired by her family, particularly her parents and grandparents, who focused so much on giving her opportunities for a good education. Outside of work, Anna enjoys gardening, reading, and spending time with friends and family. She finds balance by getting outdoors, going for walks, and tending to her garden.

Anna joined the McCaw Lewis whānau in 2024.

Location: Hamilton