Northland, New Zealand
- I am passionate about people being given a fair go - I've spent 60 years [1966-2026] studying and practising law. - I've been involved in farming (sheep, beef, dairy, deer, bulls, cropping, Freezing Works, farm-forestry, rural conveyancing, Rural Support Trust [Trustee & AgFacilitator] more than 55 years. - I've volunteered in many roles including Onerahi Lions, RWC2011, CWC2015 & CWC-U18, School Committees, Boards of Trustees, IHC
This firm (also trading as NORLAW established in 1986) started operating in July 1987 from David`s home in Waitaua Rd - off Vinegar Hill Rd - about 5km North East of Whangarei`s CBD. At 30/6/16 we were one of the 1408 law practices in NZ operating a trust account & contributing to the Lawyers Fidelity Fund. For more than 30 of its first 35 years Northlaw operated from a century old Villa on the corner of Kamo Road & Meldrum Street (opposite the Kamo Fire Station) - one block north of the Kamo traffic lights, in Whangarei City`s northern suburb Kamo (originally a Borough in its own right). In 2020 housemovers trucked the Villa 100 kms south from Kamo to Tinopai (on the Kaipara harbour) and the Kamo sections were was sold to a community housing provider to establish 18 new apartments. Over 35 years the Northlaw Team have included Sally Roughan (& her Dave & their children & her parents) with Marise Allan, Gaye Black, Clare Hughes, Victoria Koch, Liz Heywood, Wendy Rees, Mark Tutty, Louise Hartigan, Kelly McLeod, Karen Morrison, Shimisha Yardley, Jan Ghest and Janet Telfer. In the same way that Coca-Cola is also COKE, Northlaw is also NORLAW. But Northlaw is NEITHER North Law NOR NorthLaw - just as Northland is neither North Land nor NorthLand, Auckland is neither Auck Land nor AuckLand, Queenstown is neither Queens Town nor QueensTown and New Zealand is neither New Zea Land nor New ZeaLand David now operates his practice out of "Earnslaugh" in Maunu with consultations by appointment only
My Faculty was granted by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1978. It empowers me to authenticate documents for use in NZ and internationally. I was a foundation member of the NZ Society of Notaries Inc and served as an elected member of its first two councils - after being a member of the Auckland Society of Notaries and instrumental in drafting the constitution of the NZ Society. One of the first NZ lawyers to become a member of The Australian & New Zealand College of Notaries established in 2007, I am a Fellow (FANZCN) of the College. My elected role on the College`s then 12 member Board of Governors ran from 1/1/18 until 31/12/19. The other 11 Notaries on the Board were all practising in Australia, with the Chair, President & Secretary being based in Melbourne I attended both the inaugural ANZCN conference (in Canberra in October 2008) and the 6th conference held in Queenstown in October 2016.
As a student at VUW (Victoria University of Wellington) when the law faculty occupied the Hunter building, I was taught Legal Systems by the Dean (Professor Aikman), Family law by Don Inglis (as he then was), Tax law by Ivor Richardson (as he then was), & Administrative law by Kenneth Keith (as he then was). I was admitted to the Bar on 20 December 1972 at the Supreme (as it then was) Court, Wellington before The Honourable Mr. Justice Beattie (as he then was -later Governor General Sir David Beattie) on the motion of Mr. W. M. Patterson - then the District Solicitor, Public Trust Office, Wellington. In 1972, a total of 295 of us throughout NZ were admitted. In 2014, 40% of us were still practising after 42 years. I have practised in Wellington, Whanganui, Hamilton and Whangarei as a corporate lawyer, large firm partner, locum and sole practitioner. Of the 13,121 lawyers with a current practising certificate, only 3698 of us at 30/6/16 were contributing to the Lawyers Fidelity Fund by practising on our own account. I`m one of the lawyers who in 1993 clubbed in with an extra $11,000 to compensate the victims of the Renshaw Edwards defalcations. In 1986 I established Northlaw. Some years later, the Bay of Islands firm Wallace Spencer changed its name to Law North Partners and a Kaitaia lawyer started practising as Far North Law. Mine is an independent law practice - one of the 1408 practices operating a trust account at 30/6/16. Northlaw`s only connection with other law firms in Northland and elsewhere is that of collegiality. It would be as inappropriate to call Northlaw North Law as it would be to call Northland North Land, Auckland Auck Land, Queenstown Queens Town or New Zealand New Zea Land. I am a foundation member of the NZLS Friends Panel. NZLS neglects sole practitioners, TAPs & AML/CFT compliance officers.
Elected as a Trustee of the charitable trust known as the Rural Support Trust - Northland, at its 12 June 2020 AGM, I was, at the following meeting of the Board, appointed Board Secretary. Having served in those voluntary roles for a year, I am now onboarding as one of the AgFacilitators who our superb co-ordinator Rebecca is able to call upon. Glad to play whatever role she thinks will best support those in our rural communities who reach out to the trusted brand of Rural Support Trust-Northland This was a new role for me, not so much in governance, but more in contributing to the great work that I have witnessed being done (for more than a decade now) to support Northland farmers and their families deal with the adverse events and other challenges that rural communities face. I`m pleased to have played a part in the significant governance and operational changes achieved by the Board during my term and to have worked with an effective Chair providing great leadership to conscientious Trustees and Facilitators. I did not seek re-election
Developing the 55 steep hectares I purchased in 1994 and named EARNSLAUGH I farm sheep & cattle, plant trees, host beehives, work my dogs, utilise my Land Rover Defender & VW Amarok and enjoy 8 hectares of covenanted native bush and views from the property, parts of which are 300 metres above sea level.
As a foundation member of the NZLS Property Law Section (established in 2000) I am honoured to have been elected to its Executive Committee (which comprises 9 property lawyers throughout NZ - representing more than 1500 PLS members - plus the appointed nominee of the NZLS President) for three terms = nine of the Section`s first 21 years. The Executive Committee speaks for the 40% of lawyers practising property law who are members of the Property Law Section. The PLS is one of the 2 specialist Sections of the New Zealand Law Society whose members (making up almost 20% of practising lawyers) pay for our voluntary membership. Our underlying NZLS membership is free. I was elected for my first 3 year term in 2010, for my second 3 year term in 2014, and for my third 3 year term in 2018. I appreciate the opportunity that each successful election gave me to further the profile & part of lawyers in property transactions and to meet with colleagues throughout the country and being able to play a part in keeping the Property Transaction guidelines updated for incorporation in future updates of the universally (in NZ since the 1960's) accepted ADLSI/REINZ agreement for sale and purchase - now in its 12th edition. I chose not to continue as an Accredited Specialist because of the limited value of accreditation.
One of the 7 council members (from June 2019 comprising 2 men and 5 women) representing and regulating more than 6,000 lawyers practising in Northland, Coromandel, Auckland and Franklin who belong to the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Law Society. It is the largest of the 13 branches created on 1/8/2008 when the 2006 Act governing lawyers abolished the District Law Societies and our 100+ year old federal system of representing and regulating lawyers. All members of the first Auckland branch council were appointed. Annual elections for the Branch President and 3 councillors are not always contested, because most often no more than three candidates are nominated. I`m grateful for the electoral support I received in each of the 5 contested elections (for council and as President) - particularly from lawyers south of the Brynderwyns who might not have met me. I`m keen to see the branch constitution (which prevents 99.5% of members standing for election as Branch President) modified and for more members to have a say in who represents the branch on the NZLS Board (as Auckland Vice-President) with 20% of the say for 40% of the membership. In the only two contested elections for Branch President in the 14 year history of the Branch, I was unsuccessful, but pleased that the Branch`s 6000+ members had a choice of candidates and that nearly 40% of the valid votes cast supported me. I am again one of the two candidates for election as the 2022 Branch President. Voting closes on 14 June 2022