Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Pukeko
Stephanie has broad experience in complex regulatory prosecutions (with a particular focus on health and safety and fraud) and professional disciplinary matters. She also provides public law advice and representation to her public sector clients in respect of decision making and judicial review proceedings.
Stephanie provides advice and representation to professional disciplinary clients and regularly appears before specialist Tribunals, such as the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal and the Real Estate Agents Disciplinary Tribunal.
Stephanie is a Senior Crown Prosecutor and represents the Crown in jury trials prosecuting serious crime. She regularly appears in the District Court, High Court and Court of Appeal.
Stephanie began her career in criminal defence and civil litigation in New Zealand prior to practicing criminal law in a large international law firm based in central London.
Stephanie is a committee member of the New Zealand Law Society’s Criminal Law Committee and regularly contributes to submissions on legislative reform in that capacity. She has been a guest lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington.
Recent and Notable work:
Lead counsel in the first health and safety prosecution of a CEO of a large company alleging breach of officers’ duties: Maritime New Zealand v Gibson [2024] NZDC 27975”
Defending an independent Crown Entity in a significant judicial review.
Lead counsel in complex health and safety prosecutions: Aviation Authority v James Patrick Scott and AMD Ltd [2019] NZDC 9458 (crash involving seven fatalities on Fox Glacier), Worksafe NZ v Waste Management NZ Ltd [2021] NZDC 12388.
Lead counsel in the first health and safety prosecution alleging reckless conduct, and High Court appeal under s 47 of the Health and Safety at Work Act: Civil Aviation Authority v Sarginson [2019] NZDC 2565, Sarginson v Civil Aviation Authority [2020] NZHC 3199.
Lead counsel in appeals from decisions of professional disciplinary Tribunals.
Conducted extensive reviews of internal processes and procedures for national professional disciplinary bodies.
Legislative reform advice for a public sector client that will significantly alter the scope of the work for that client, and involved extensive liaising with the relevant Ministry.
Counsel in major fisheries prosecution spanning eight months trial time in the District Court: Ministry for Primary Industries v G H D’Esposito & Ors [2019] NZDC 2599.
Counsel in regulatory prosecution under the Animal Products and Food Acts relating to food products contaminated with Listera monocytogenes: Ministry for Primary Industries v Bay Cuisine Ltd [2015] NZDC 13590.
Publications:
Annotation author – Garrow and Turkington Search and Surveillance.
Authored Lexis Nexis online Practical Guidance on Search and Surveillance.
Updating author of Lexis Nexis online Practical Guidance on Evidence.