New Zealand Christian Lawyers Conference - Our Profession: Christian vocation and law

Our Profession: Christian vocation and law

Tō tātou mahi: Tō te Karaitiana nei tū me te ture

God calls, we respond. That’s the Christian vocation, in life and in law.

Christian Lawyers of Aotearoa New Zealand are delighted to invite you to join us at our annual dinner and conference on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 August. We’ll be exploring themes of identity, calling, and context with inspiring speakers including:

Bishop Te Kitohi Pikaahu from Te Pīhopatanga o Te Tai Tokerau, who will encourage us to start by finding our identity in Christ;

Andrew Coster, who will offer personal reflections on discerning and pursuing vocation as a servant and a leader, drawing on his experience in public service roles;

Practitioners and panellists including Zenas Kim, Gael Goulter, and Steven Moe, who will share their stories of integrating faith and profession from the frontlines of legal practice, encourage us to think about how to engage with our current context in light of our beliefs, and equip us with practical tools and tips.

Why not get your tickets now and take advantage of our early-bird pricing?

Key details

Dinner

• We’ll kick off with fellowship and food on Thursday 14 August from 6.30 pm

• Venue: Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre Exhibition Hall

• Cost (incl. GST): $70 (buffet meal; cash bar for drinks)

Conference

• We’ll gather on Friday 15 August from 10 am – 4 pm.

• Equippers Church Manukau (easy access to/from the airport).

• CPD: eligible for 3 points if you attend the full day.

• Catering: morning tea on arrival, lunch, and afternoon tea—and, of course, coffee.

• Cost (incl. GST):

  • General Admission: $245 (early-bird price of $195 before 31 July);

  • Student: $49 (early-bird price of $29 before 31 July).

E te whanau o ngā roiā Karaitiana - nau mai haere mai!

Conference speaker programme

Pre-conference dinner

Māmari Stephens

Session 1: Finding our identity in Christ

Bishop Te Kitohi Pikaahu

The Right Reverend Te Kītohi (Kito) Pikaahu (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu, Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa, Te Roroa and Ngāti Whātua iwi) is the Bishop of Te Tai Tokerau and the leader to Mihingare – Māori Anglicans – in Northland and Auckland. 

He is an advocate for the wellbeing of Māori and indigenous communities.

Bishop Pikaahu is the longest serving indigenous bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion. When he was consecrated a bishop in 2002 at age 37 he was recognised as the youngest Anglican bishop globally.

He has served as a priest within Te Tai Tokerau for more than 37 years and has led the Waitangi Day services at Waitangi for the last 24 years.

Bishop Pikaahu has significant governance experience from serving on boards and committees such as chairing the worldwide Anglican Indigenous Network since 2015. He has also led the promotion of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a framework for religious leadership within the Anglican Church. 

Since 2012 Bishop Pikaahu has been the Anglican Liaison Bishop for the New Zealand Defence Force and is the Chair of the Chaplain’s Defence Advisory Council.

In the 2021 New Year Honours Bishop Pikaahu was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to the Anglican Church and Māori.

Session 2: Discerning and pursuing vocation

Andrew Coster

Andrew is a career public servant, who spent 28 years in New Zealand Police, culminating as the Commissioner in 2024. He is now Secretary for Social Investment. Andrew has an LLB(Hons) and Master of Public Management. He practiced law as a prosecutor at Meredith Connell in 2004.

Andrew worships with his family at The Street Church in Wellington. He is very open about the importance of his faith in his work and how a sense of call shapes his approach. 

Panel 1: Stories from the front lines

Zenas Kim, Sarah Beshay, Steve O'Connor, Anna Rosevear

Zenas is a Manager in the Financial Advice team at the Financial Markets Authority (Te Mana Tātai Hokohoko, FMA). She was previously in the Legal team as a Senior Legal Counsel. Prior to joining the FMA, she worked in professional services firms (consulting and law firms). Having recently made the transition from the private to public sector and from legal roles to a non-legal role, she is keen to encourage and empower people to do their mahi better, together.

Sarah is a senior lawyer and employment law specialist working at Auckland Community Law Centre. Her identity is treasured in her Coptic (native Egyptian) heritage but also in her exposure to the world of Te Ao Māori. In addition to her Bachelor of Laws degree from AUT, Sarah has a Masters in Theological Studies from The Australian University College of Divinity. Besides her work, Sarah gets her energy from engaging with God's natural creation, participating in different church services and embracing her calling as a cooperator of Opus Dei.

Steve is a partner in the Auckland office of Luke Cunningham Clere (LCC). LCC is the Office of the Crown Solicitor for Wellington. Steve has a particular interest in working on cases involving defendants with disabilities in the criminal justice system and also specialises in youth justice issues.  He is a member of the Catholic Church’s National Safeguarding & Professional Standards Committee, the governance body that oversees the Church’s response to complaints of abuse. He has represented Catholic respondents during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State Care and Faith-Based Institutions and also sits on the NZLS Youth Justice Law Reform Committee. He is a father to two little clients, aged 2 and 3 years old, and married to a (non-Christian) lawyer. 

Anna began her legal career advising on KiwiSaver schemes and has a passion for improving the financial wellbeing of New Zealanders. She went on to help found one of Aotearoa’s first anti-money laundering consultancies. She enjoys helping organisations navigate complex legal obligations with clarity and confidence. Now part of Parry Field’s impact team, Anna works with charities, social enterprises, and fund managers to turn good ideas into sustainable legal structures. Whether setting up a trust or catalysing impact, she partners closely with clients to make the law work for the change they seek to bring to the world.

Panel 2: A worked example—engaging with contemporary issues

Gael Goulter, Hanna Fail, Kris Morrison, Jen Collings

Gael has worked predominantly as a family lawyer with a particular interest in issues relating to the care of children. She was appointed to the panel of lawyers qualified to represent the child in court proceedings. Gael has served in advisory and governance roles in contexts as diverse as parenting, policy, and education. She was involved in setting up Ethos and serves on the board. Gael has degrees in law and politics and she is currently undertaking a masters in health law and bioethics through the University of Otago.

Hanna Fail is a proud Kiwi born overseas, currently completing her Bachelor of Laws with Honours at the University of Canterbury. Throughout her academic journey, Hanna has sought meaningful ways to contribute to her community. She has volunteered as a case worker at Community Law Canterbury and served as a LawMe mentor through the University. Most recently, Hanna gained invaluable practical experience as a summer clerk at Innes Dean Lawyers. Working alongside a talented and supportive team, she built on her legal skills and further deepened her passion for the profession. As she approaches the completion of her degree, Hanna is excited to take the next step and begin her legal career.

Kris is a partner in Parry Field Lawyers, and is a leader in its impact team working with charities and other impact focused entities. He regularly advises on group structuring and restructuring, impact ventures, charity law compliance, acquisitions, solvency, and general corporate law requirements as well as contractual and commercial matters such as intellectual property ownership and licensing, software agreements, services agreements and joint venture agreements. Kris is a director of the Charity Law Association of Australia and New Zealand. Kris also acts for a number of schools and school proprietors, and regularly assist them with legal compliance as schools. One particular area of focus is on helping state integrated schools to understand their rights and obligations under human rights laws. Kris was for several years the chair of the Christian Education Network in Christchurch and of the Emmanuel Christian School Board. He is an elder of his church, Grace Presbyterian Church of Christchurch.

Jen Collings, EMBA, LLB (Hons), Dip.Bib.Studies, CG (Affiliated), is the National Director of The Christian Medical Fellowship of New Zealand and has over twenty years' experience in Christian Church and Charity leadership. Having served for 15 years as an ordained minister and local charity director with The Salvation Army, Jen is an experienced champion of mission integrity across church and professional social services. In her daily work with CMFnz, she leads a community of medical practitioners across Aotearoa who encourage and equip each other in living wholeheartedly for Christ through medicine. As a Massey Business School Executive MBA graduate and Affiliate Member of the Chartered Governance Institute, Jen aims to leverage strategic thought and the principles of best practice governance to help lift the impact of Christian churches and charities, serving as a Director of Christian Savings Ltd and Trustee at Te Whare Ruruhau o Meri. She’s married to Marcus, Senior Pastor of Northcote Baptist Church, and they have two sons, Hudson (22) and Lincoln (17).

Session 3: Seed habits

Steven Moe

Steven Moe is a Partner at Parry Field Lawyers with a focus on “for purpose” organisations ranging from charities to companies.  He helped cofound this Christian Lawyers Network in 2017 and he has worked as a lawyer for 25 years including 11 years overseas based in Tokyo, London and Sydney, and since 2016 has been based back in Aotearoa. Steven hosts seeds podcast which has 450+ episodes and another on governance for the IOD called Board Matters.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of our sponsors.

About Trust Management

For over 20 years, Trust Management has built genuine partnerships with 180+ for-purpose organisations, helping them to do the most good by providing specialised services in property strategy, property management and financial accounting. As a registered charity themselves, they will closely align with you, understanding that strong commercial foundations help charities achieve their purpose and build stronger communities.

Visit www.trustmanagement.co.nz to find out more.

About Ethos

Ethos are human rights advocates, helping people to live out their most important beliefs. Together with an alliance of expert lawyers, they offer advice, support and education to promote the fundamental rights to freedom of conscience, religion, and belief. These rights foster real moral debate, protect us against abuses of power, and embrace our full humanity. Ethos also offers CPD and resources to the legal profession, and provides vocational support to Christian lawyers and law students.

Visit www.ethosalliance.nz to find out more.