Legal Insights Newsletter October 2025

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Kirikiriroa to host world’s first International Indigenous Judges Conference

Kirikiriroa/Hamilton will host an unprecedented gathering this weekend as indigenous judges from across the globe converge for the International Indigenous Judges Conference.

The three-day event, running from 24-26 October at the University of Waikato, marks the first-time judges from Canada, the United States, Australia, the Pacific Islands, and New Zealand will collectively examine what it means to judge through an indigenous lens.

“In short, the conference is about building global judicial relationships, whereby indigenous legal issues can be discussed, compared and contrasted amongst indigenous judges with different ideas and experiences…” Judge Aidan Warren of the Māori Land Court told NZ Lawyer recently.

Communicating Trust During a Corporate Crisis - Insights from the Hato Hone St John Team

The risks of simply doing business have escalated. Is your legal department properly prepared for when – not if – a crisis eventually strikes?

We speak with Lizzie Johnston (crisis management expert) and Ben Sutton (general counsel) at Hato Hone St John's on how to communicate effectively with external stakeholders and the public during turbulent times.

“In a crisis, people want honesty and clarity, not polished spin or jargon. Share what you know both internally and externally as soon as you can.”

In-house legal departments spend a great deal of time avoiding or mitigating risk. But how many have plans in place to cope with a corporate crisis?

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From Hong Kong beginnings to NZ courts, Eva Ho’s career shows the power of adapting to every challenge

Eva Ho is no stranger to unfamiliar territory. Long before becoming principal at Focus Law in Auckland, she spent five years in Hong Kong studying and then practicing as a social worker, moving through crowded neighbourhoods, listening to families in crisis, and searching for solutions that rarely had clear endings. The work she does today looks very different, but her motivation remains the same: helping people find resolution.

That instinct to adapt now shapes her response to the latest force transforming her profession—artificial intelligence. While some lawyers worry AI will make junior staff redundant, Eva Ho sees it as another opportunity to adjust – for the better - much like the cultural and career transitions she has already navigated.

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