General Background
Honor acts in criminal, professional discipline and civil cases, with a particular focus on defending complex regulatory and serious fraud prosecutions.
Since joining the bar in 2015, she has represented clients in a number of high profile criminal cases, including the longest criminal trial in New Zealand’s history (the Financial Markets Authority’s (FMA) prosecution of the directors of Viaduct Capital and Mutual Finance), the Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO) prosecution of Auckland Transport officials for corruption, the SFO’s prosecution of a $40 million mortgage fraud and the first two prosecutions under the Wine Act 2003. She currently acts for individual and corporate clients being investigated or prosecuted by various regulators.
Honor also has experience in criminal proceeds litigation and defending clients subject to professional discipline proceedings.
In addition, Honor acts in civil cases concerning shareholder disputes, company law, contract claims and breach of fiduciary duties.
Prior to joining the bar, Honor worked in prosecution in Wellington as a Crown Prosecutor and in New York as a Consultant to the New York County (Manhattan) District Attorney’s Office. She also worked as a defence lawyer at the International Criminal Court on the ‘Kenya 1’ case.
Honor has a keen interest in international and human rights law. She has completed pro-bono work for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, International Committee of the Red Cross and Vice-Chair of the United Nations Committee Against Torture. She is presently a member of the New Zealand Law Society’s Human Rights and Privacy Committee.
Honor has a first class honours degree in Law from the University of Otago and a Masters in Law from Columbia University. At Otago, she was awarded academic prizes, was President of the Society of Otago University Law Students, won the national negotiation competition and came fourth in the world negotiation competition. At Columbia University, she was the W. Bayard Cutting Jr Fellow for International Law, a James Kent Scholar (A – A+ average) and was the recipient of a William Georgetti Scholarship from New Zealand.
Selected Recent Cases
- MPI v Austin (prosecution of wine exporter in Auckland District Court), Lead Counsel
- Huljich v Huljich [2018] NZHC 3429 (civil trial in Auckland High Court), Junior Counsel to Daniel McLellan QC and Jenny Cooper QC
- Advanced Creative Technologies Ltd v D4 Cash Investors Ltd [2018] NZCA 379 (defending civil appeal in Court of Appeal), Lead Counsel
- R v Foster [2018] NZHC 1422 ($40 million mortgage fraud prosecution in Auckland High Court), Lead Counsel
- Burgess v Monk [2017] NZHC 3255 (11 week civil trial in Hamilton High Court), Junior Counsel to Rob Latton
- R v Bublitz [2017] NZHC 1059 (prosecution of directors of Viaduct Capital Ltd and Mutual Finance Ltd in Auckland High Court, 9 month trial), Junior Counsel to Rachael Reed QC
- R v George [2016] NZHC 1730 (Auckland Transport corruption case in Auckland High Court), Junior Counsel to Bob Hollyman QC
- R v Kerr [2016] NZHC 512 (Fonterra baby milk blackmail case in Auckland High Court), Junior Counsel to John Billington QC