Our speakers

Judith is an experienced senior associate who specialises in local government law and related regulatory issues.
She advises Council clients on all aspects of decision-making, bylaws and policy development, roading and three waters issues, as well as rating and planning requirements. She also has significant experience with local government regulatory issues, including advising on Building Act, Dog Control, Sale and Supply of Alcohol, and Official Information and Privacy for a wide range of clients. Judith also provides advice on statutory interpretation and assists clients with submissions on Parliamentary Bills.

After working in-house at Christchurch City Council for several years Judith brings a practical and plain language approach to her local government advice. She works alongside her clients to deliver pragmatic, timely solutions.

Judith was a former author of Brookers Building Law. She is a member of the Canterbury Women’s Legal Association.

Julie has been Chief Executive at Taupo District Council since 2023, and before that was Deputy Chief Executive and held multiple General Manager roles at Whakatane District Council.  She is an advocate for the services and functions that councils provide to their communities, and enjoys the diversity that her position provides. 

Julie has a particular interest in economic development and prior to local government, work in both the private sector and central government in roles related to the electricity industry.

As the Chair of the Taituara Corporate Planning Reference Group, she brings strong experience of working in corporate planning, policy and strategy. Julie was also led the recovery from the Edgecumbe floods and the economic recovery from the White Island/Whakaari disaster.

With a strong strategic focus and a reputation as someone who gets things done, Julie currently leads a team of around 400 awesome people at Taupō District Council.

Born and raised in Matamata, Waikato, with a background in law and philosophy from Waikato University. Kent brings two years of experience with DX Mail and a strong passion for mail and elections. Kent is a lifelong learner drawn to transformative ideas and disruptive technologies. His career spans small startups and large corporations, fostering a wide ranging skill set and adaptability. He thrives in dynamic environments that push industry boundaries and are known for embracing innovation. Outside work, he enjoys adrenaline sports like skiing, mountain biking, and surfing, which inspire bold, creative approaches in professional settings.

Kerri Price is an experienced facilitator who has been designing and leading meetings for 20+ years. From small group strategic planning sessions, through to large community hui, Kerri has navigated thousands of meetings across the public, private and community sectors. Kerri still has her own facilitation practice, but these days she spends most of her time supporting others to design and lead their sessions well. She is the founder of The Facilitators Network, a community of practice for anyone who leads meetings, workshops or community conversations. Kerri regularly posts content on LinkedIn or you can check out her website: www.thefacilitatorsnetwork.co.nz

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.

Leith Townshend is General Counsel at Tasman District Council. In this role, he provides strategic legal advice across a wide range of local government functions, including governance, LOGIMA requests, public law, and risk management. During his time in Council, he has developed a particular interest in the challenges that sovereign citizen and pseudo-legal movements can present for public authorities and decision-makers. Leith is an in-house lawyer by trade having worked in a number of Government Departments and regulatory agencies.  

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.