Professional Qualifications

LLB Victoria University of Wellington, 1991
BA Victoria University of Wellington, 1991

Areas of expertise

Corporate and Commercial
Maori Legal Issues
Government

Kathryn is an experienced public sector and corporate and commercial lawyer who advises public sector clients on the exercise of their statutory functions and powers and also has significant experience in the development and drafting of statutes and secondary legislation (including Ministerial rules).

She also has considerable experience in drafting, negotiating and advising on a broad range of commercial contracts including contracts protecting intellectual property rights, distribution contracts and tender documents. Kathryn's experience also includes advising on the negotiation of Treaty of Waitangi settlements (both for the Crown and claimant groups). As well as experience as in-house solicitor at the Office of Treaty Settlements, Kathryn's public sector experience includes secondments with the New Zealand Dairy Board and the Ministry of Transport.

Some of Kathryn's major projects

• Reviewing, providing advice on, and drafting, terms of negotiation, agreements in principle, deeds of settlement and settlement legislation for the settlement of historical Treaty claims
• Provision of legal advice on a wide variety of other legal and policy issues relating to Treaty settlements including those relating to the redress to be offered to Treaty claimants and the implementation of those historical Treaty claims which have been settled. This advice has covered a broad range of legal areas including contract law, statutory interpretation, land law (particularly Crown land), and Health and Safety in Employment
• Involvement in reviewing and providing comments on general legislative and policy proposals such as the cut off date for filing historical Treaty claims, the New Zealand Geographic Board Bill and the Maori Purposes Bill 2008
• Advising the Tertiary Education Commission on its statutory powers and functions and on its funding arrangements with tertiary education organisations
• Advising the State Services Commission on legal frameworks and issues in relation to a major all of government IT project
• Advising New Zealand Post on a range of commercial contracts (including supply and distribution contracts and product marketing contracts)
• Assisting the Ministry of Transport with the consolidation of the rail safety provisions from disparate legislation into one act including assisting with the development of policy behind the new legislation and initial drafting of aspects of the Bill
• Advising the Ministry of Transport on a broad range of legal issues, including the proposed roading reforms and reviewing and drafting proposed land transport, civil aviation and maritime transport Ministerial rules, and finalising the form of those rules in consultation with the Ministry and other parties
• Assisting with the privatisation of the New Zealand Railways Corporation including the vesting of assets in Crown transferee companies (requiring drafting of papers for Ministers, Cabinet and Orders in Council)
• Advising Railtrack plc (London) in respect of its privatisation including regulatory issues and entering into contractual arrangements for access rights granted to third parties to use Railtrack's network
• Negotiating, drafting, and providing advice on a broad range of commercial contracts including information technology contracts, contracts protecting copyright, trade marks and intellectual property rights including licence and assignment agreements, and franchise and distribution contracts

Solicitor, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, New Zealand (1991 - 1994)