Katie is a public lawyer with over ten years’ experience in litigation and advisory work. Before joining LCC Katie spent nine years in the natural resources public law team at Crown Law, and previously worked at Inland Revenue. Katie has worked on high profile and complex public law matters including significant climate change litigation, various judicial reviews of ministerial and other public decision-making, public works proceedings, and other land related matters.
Recent and notable work:
Representing the Attorney-General from the High Court to the Supreme Court in the novel climate change case Smith v Attorney-General (novel public duty, New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, and direct enforcement of Te Tiriti o Waitangi)
Lead counsel for the Crown in Glenthorne Station Ltd v Commissioner of Crown Lands [2026] NZHC 41 (declaratory judgment and judicial review)
Representing the Minister of Land Information in Casata Ltd v Minister of Land Information from the Land Valuation Tribunal to Court of Appeal (compensation under the Public Works Act, ‘shadow period’)
Acting on various Mt Messenger litigation, including as lead counsel for the Crown in a judicial review of Environment Court process
Appearing in Royal Forest and Bird Society Inc v Minister of Fisheries from High Court to Supreme Court (setting of total allowable catch under the Fisheries Act 1996)
Acting on Environmental Law Initiative v Director-General of Ministry for Primary Industries (judicial review under multiple statutory regimes, led argument for MPI)
Acting on the New Zealand Steel trade remedies judicial review proceedings