Our speakers

Kierra is a Senior Associate in Simpson Grierson’s planning and environment team, based in Christchurch. Kierra is an experienced regulatory lawyer specialising in planning and environmental litigation. Kierra has broad litigation experience, for both private and public sector clients. She has specialist expertise in the Building Act, heritage matters, cultural issues, natural hazards and climate change. She is a published author on a number of topics related to climate change litigation, regulation and policy and has recently completed a Masters in Environmental Law involving research into climate change related topics.

Killian joins BERL in 2025 as Deputy Chief Economist, bringing over a decade of experience in economics, policy, and consultancy across public and private sectors. He is passionate about improving economic systems amongst government, business, and society for a more productive, sustainable, inclusive and resilient economy.

With wide experience across policy areas and portfolios, Killian provides innovative and actionable research and advice. His career spans roles at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC), The Treasury, ANZ Bank, and the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER). Killian holds a Master in Public Administration (MPA) from the National University of Singapore, where he graduated with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Prize.

He mokopuna tenei o nga waka matua e wha, ko Kurahaupo, ko Tainui, ko Te Arawa hoki.  I tipu ake au I raro i a Tararua maunga, no roto mai o te Wairarapa. Inaianei, e noho ana maua ko taku tamahine kei reira.

With a passion for education and personal growth, my academic journey has been a lifetime pursuit.  With double undergraduate degrees in a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Māori Studies and a Bachelor of Physical Education, I also hold a Master of Professional Accounting and a Master of International Security.  My educational pursuits are more recently centred around indigenous security and development issues, and how He Whakaputanga and Te Titiri o Waitangi can be reaffirmed in the defence and security realm. 

Professionally, I have dedicated ten years to the Army as a General List Medical Officer, honing my leadership skills in high-pressure environments. My final regular force role was as a Senior Advisor Māori, utilizing my background and expertise to develop policy and advance Māori initiatives for service people. Prior to military service, I worked both overseas and locally as an accountant.  In January 2026 I begin a new role as Pou Mataamua (CEO) for my iwi, Rangitane o Tamaki nui-a-Rua. 

Family is the cornerstone of my life. I am a proud parent to one daughter, Kaia, and we share our home with two beloved furry whānau members. When not working, I enjoy engaging in various sports and physical activities, spending quality time with my wider family, traveling to new places, and continuously pursuing education. 

With a rich tapestry of experiences, I share a commitment to community and service, education, and personal development, that has supported a multifaceted career and life journey. 

Lisa Thomas is the Strategy Manager at Manawatū District Council, where she leads the development of the Long-term Plan, Annual Plan, Council strategy, and a wide range of strategic policy and planning work. She also oversees Council’s policy and bylaw review programme and prepares submissions on legislative reform.

Having worked in local government for more than a decade, Lisa has been involved in every stage of the Long-term Plan process—from environmental scanning and forecasting assumptions through to infrastructure strategies, financial policies, consultation, submissions, and adoption. She has a particular interest in helping elected members and organisations understand the practical implications of legislative reform by translating complex technical information into clear, accessible advice.

As a member of the Taituarā Corporate Planning Reference Group, Lisa is passionate about sharing knowledge across councils, learning from others, and working collaboratively to improve planning practice throughout the sector.

Mali has a 10 plus year career local government, governance. In her current role she leads two teams, Democracy Services and Tai-ranga-whenua with a focus on all processes related to democracy, supporting council’s co-management arrangements with local iwi and leading policy and strategy work aimed at growing capacity to engage with Māori. Co-governance at Waikato Regional Council has been in effect for almost 10 years now. The introduction of Waikato River treaty settlement legislation was the catalyst for forging long term partnerships with iwi in the Waikato. And with more treaty settlements on the horizon the drivers for change will continue to emerge from this space.

With over 20 years’ experience in leadership development, change management, organisational design, and people and culture strategy, Mat brings both expertise and genuine care for people. He helps leaders build high-performing teams, navigate change with humanity, and deliver transformative results.

Matt Conway is an environmental lawyer at Simpson Grierson in Wellington. He advises councils and applicants about environmental policy, consenting and compliance issues, including district and regional plan reviews, roads, prisons, farm discharges, water supply networks, marine consenting, waste water treatment plants, vegetation clearance and child care centres.

He has been involved in hearings before councils, boards of inquiry, decision-making panels, the Waitangi Tribunal, the Environment Court, the Maori Land Court and the High Court.

Mereana Beconcini brings over two decades of experience in sales, marketing, advertising, branding, L&D and communications to her role as COO at Taituarā. As a seasoned leader, Mereana has guided teams and organisations through strategic initiatives that drive growth and foster meaningful connections with clients and stakeholders. Her expertise spans across various sectors, with a particular focus on digital solutions, learning and development, advertising, and integrating Te Ao Māori into her work.

At Taituarā, Mereana is excited to contribute to the organisation’s mission of supporting and enhancing local government in Aotearoa. Her commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi aligns with Taituarā’s values, and she is passionate about ensuring that the organisation’s efforts authentically uplift Māori.

Her recent roles at Springload and Special Group have seen her at the forefront of impactful projects, including award-winning campaigns and successful new business ventures.

Outside of work, Mereana enjoys spending time at the beach with her husband and two young children and she is passionate about learning te reo Māori and volunteering at her kids Kura.

Michael is the Manager, Governance and Legal at Invercargill City Council since November 2021 and the Deputy Electoral Officer since 2018. Michael led the elections team during the 2019 Elections as well as two recent by-elections. He joined Council in 2014 as in house Counsel having spent 9 years working in private practice in both Invercargill and Queenstown with experience in local Government law, Resource Management as well as Family Court and Crown prosecutions.

Michelle is an experienced commercial lawyer specialising in data protection, AI and technology matters.

Michelle regularly drafts and negotiates commercial contracts for technology transactions for both customers and suppliers across a range of industry sectors, including large-scale technology procurements, ‘as a service’ arrangements, data licensing arrangements and technology licensing contracts.

Michelle has expertise in advising clients on privacy, data protection and cybersecurity issues in the development and deployment of new products and services, including connected car services, biometric and digital identity verification tools, satellite communication services, machine learning models and generative AI tools, drones and facial recognition technologies.

Before joining Simpson Grierson, Michelle worked in-house for a leading AI technology company where she advised on a variety of contracting arrangements as well as regulatory and compliance issues affecting new and emerging technologies.

Dr Mike Reid, Principal Policy Advisor, LGNZ. After starting his local government career at Christchurch City council Mike has been with LGNZ since 1996, during which time he has worked in a diverse range of policy areas ranging from local governance and social policy to legislative change and local democracy. He currently leads LGNZ’s localism programme. Mike completed his PhD on the topic of strengthening local governance and local government in in 2011 and is currently on the board of the Institute of Governance and Policy Studies. He speaks regularly on local government matters and has published widely.

Mike is a partner in Simpson Grierson’s environment and planning group, based in Wellington. He specialises in local government and environmental law, with a particular focus on the regulatory functions and processes of local government (including under the RMA), and decision-making and governance obligations and requirements. He regularly represents local authorities in relation to RMA matters (including before the higher courts) and has appeared before many other specialist tribunals and council hearings on specific strategic and regulatory matters.

Miriama Kamo (Ngāi Tahu/Ngāti Mutunga) is a celebrated broadcaster, acclaimed author, environmental advocate, and cultural leader.

A familiar face in Aotearoa’s media landscape, Miriama is the long-standing host of Māori current affairs programme Marae and a former host of TVNZ’s Sunday, as well as a trusted presence across many of the network’s news programmes. Her journalism is marked by integrity, depth, and a strong commitment to elevating underrepresented voices.

Murray is a Director and GM of Sales and Consulting at Liverton Security, a leading NZ cyber security software company and consultancy. Liverton is an ALGIM member. With more than 35 years of experience in information technology, Murray has advised organisations of all sizes across the private, public, and not‑for‑profit sectors, including Local Bodies. He has served as a vCIO and vCISO for multiple organisations, helping leaders navigate technology strategy, cybersecurity risk, and digital transformation.

Murray is a Member of the Institute of Management Consultants, a Certified Management Consultant (CMC), a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors, a Chartered IT Professional and the NZ Chapter Lead for Digital Directors Australia.

Nick is a senior litigation and dispute resolution lawyer with a broad range of experience in dealing with complex, high-stakes disputes across different sectors. He has a particular focus on commercial disputes that involve public issues – whether that is commercial entities that are interacting with public decision-makers or public entities that are involved in a commercial dispute. 

Nick has acted for various organisations across a broad range of disputes and industries, including commercial contracts, energy and the Emissions Trading Scheme, property and leasing issues, judicial reviews, infrastructure, insurance disputes, insolvency, class actions, banking and financial services, telecommunications and technology, and construction disputes. He has appeared before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.  He also has considerable experience in arbitration, and in alternative dispute resolution forums such as mediation. 

Prior to joining Simpson Grierson, Nick worked for Herbert Smith Freehills and Allen & Overy in London.

Nick is also an Adjunct Lecturer and Teaching Fellow at Victoria University’s Faculty of Law. He currently teaches the University’s compulsory course on the core skills of legal research, legal writing, legal analysis, and advocacy.