Fiona Tregonning

Fiona is a general commercial litigation and arbitration lawyer.  She has a wealth of experience working with clients both to identify and minimise risks and to resolve complex or international disputes.

Fiona advises both private and public sector clients, including statutory bodies such as the Earthquake Commission (EQC) and Fire and Emergency New Zealand.  She works across a wide range of industries, advising on matters such as financial services regulatory issues, health and safety obligations, conduct and culture matters, anti-bribery and corruption issues, insurance and contractual disputes.

With a key focus on regulatory advisory work, Fiona enjoys helping her clients to identify the challenges and risks they face and recommending improvements.  She builds strong relationships with clients, enabling her to get a good understanding of their organisation, including both its drivers and its needs.  She is noted for delivering timely and clear advice to boards and senior management, tailored to meet those needs.  Having recently completed a secondment to Maritime New Zealand, Fiona also has a valuable insight into the particular challenges and motivators for regulatory organisations.

In addition to her litigation experience in New Zealand courts, Fiona specialises in arbitration.  She is an associate of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand Inc (AMINZ) and a member of the AMINZ Arbitration Appointments Panel.

Fiona has significant overseas experience, having worked at Herbert Smith (now Herbert Smith Freehills) in London and Hong Kong.  She completed an LLM at Harvard Law School in 2002 and spent a year seconded by the Harvard Sussex Program working as a legal researcher at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague.  She worked for many years at another major New Zealand law firm.

Fiona is a member of MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Community Investment Committee which champions the firm’s programme to support community projects, causes or organisations.  Through Who Did You Help Today?, a charitable trust aiming to create positive social change, she also volunteers for Homework Club at a low decile Wellington primary school.