The Treasury is the New Zealand Government's lead economic and financial advisor. As one of three central agencies, Treasury provides leadership and coordination across the public sector – with the ultimate objective of improving New Zealanders' living standards. Between September 2014 and August 2016, I was the lead solicitor in The Treasury’s Social Housing Transactions Unit, a team tasked with implementing significant reform of New Zealand's social housing system. I provided legal, policy and commercial advice to senior ministers and colleagues on a range of matters relating to the reform programme. Prior to this, I advised a number of Treasury teams as part of the Treasury legal team. In particular, I provided advice regarding: - management of the Crown's commercial assets, including State-owned enterprises;- the development and passage of legislation; - the Crown’s relationship with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi; and- the development of Treasury policy in the natural resources, justice and defence sectors.

I was a member of Russell McVeagh's Corporate Advisory and Public Law & Policy practise groups and worked on matters relating to privacy, information technology procurement, public policy reform and Māori governance. I clerked in the firm's Auckland office over the 2009/10 summer, and in the firm's Wellington office over the 2010/11 summer. Russell McVeagh is commonly regarded as one of New Zealand's three top-tier commercial law firms.