Board Members

Simon Judd (left) is an Auckland barrister with a broad practice in civil litigation, human rights and public law. He has particular expertise in the law relating to suspensions and exclusions from school and has represented students on a number of applications to the High Court to review school discipline decisions. In addition to being on the YouthLaw Board, Simon works with YouthLaw in advising clients and bringing strategic litigation.

Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua te waka

Ko Hau-hau Tane i te rangi Cherrington rāua ko Atareta Anaru ōku mātu
Ko Harvena Cherrington tōku ingoa

Harvena (pictured right) says she is proud to have had a long and fruitful relationship with YouthLaw. As a newly-minted lawyer, Harvena’s first employed position at YouthLaw was as the Maori Youth Solicitor, a position she held for 5 years. Now 18 years later she has been a member of the Board for a number of years, as well as conducting her own practice at all levels of the Criminal Court, Youth Court and in the Family Court in both Defence and as a Prosecutor previously for the New Zealand Police.

Although she practices in all courts in the wider Auckland area, she is based at Manukau and conducts the majority of her mahi as a sole practicing Barrister and Solicitor in the South Auckland area, where she was born and raised.  Her parents settled there from different areas in Northland, and encouraged the family’s education and interaction in the community.  Her family links remain strong, particularly in Northland however, she feels her feet are firmly planted here in the South Auckland community amongst the Maori, Pakeha and Pasifika families that give the community its vibrancy and its challenges.

Nive (top) is a senior advisor at ProCare – New Zealand’s largest cooperative of healthcare professionals. She reports directly to the executive leadership team and has a focus on equity and strategy. Nive has been on the YouthLaw Board since 2013 (when she was a young person) and is an experienced director who has held a variety governance leadership roles in the not-for-profit sector for the past 10 years including the last four years severing as a vice-president of a global non-for-profit organisation – World YWCA.

Nive’s passion is the empowerment of women, young people and children. She has represented Aotearoa at various United Nations meetings, including in 2018 at 38th Session Human Rights Council, 70th session CEDAW, and 59th and 58th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women an NGO delegate. She was recognised for her commitment to young women when she was named as a finalist in the emerging leader category for the Westpac’s Women of Influence Awards 2013.

Fluent in both Tamil and English, Nive is also able to stay up-to-date with issues facing young people through her connections. She has strong networks within the Ministry of Youth Development, Ministry for Women, Asia New Zealand Foundation’s Leadership Network, Auckland Council’s Youth Advisory Panel, UNESCO NZ’s Youth Advisory Group, and the Office of Ethnic Communities.

Andy (bottom) is a partner at Minter Ellison. He is a chartered accountant and lawyer, and has been a tax adviser since 1993. Andy has been our Treasurer for many years, and works closely with our staff and accountants to carefully manage YouthLaw’s finances. He is a member of the New Zealand Law Society Tax Reform Committee and the Financial Services Council Tax Advisory Group, and advises many charities as part of his day job.

Coral is Director at Wackrow Panoho & Associates, an Auckland-based general practice law firm and joined the Youthlaw Board in early 2019.  Coral has a broad range of practice areas including, Civil Litigation, Māori Legal Issues, Commercial and Residential Property, Relationship Property, Wills, Trusts and Estate Matters.  Coral is of Ngāti Hako and Ngāpuhi descent and is passionate about working with Māori and in particular Māori youth.  Prior to being admitted to the bar in 2014, Coral has enjoyed a number of roles engaging with Youth in Aotearoa including as a Youth Parliamentarian in 2007, a MATES mentor in 2010, a Youth Council member for the Minister of Māori Affairs in 2011 and a facilitator at the UN Youth Conference in 2012.   Outside of work Coral enjoys spending time with whānau and friends and travelling where possible.

David holds qualifications in science and law. He has worked in Quality, Safety and Risk Management in Australia and New Zealand and is currently a Quality Manager in the food industry. He have been involved in law reform with Government and has been an industry representative on Government reference groups.
David has a keen interest in Education law and has taken on a number of Board of Trustees and related cases since first becoming involved with YouthLaw in 2012. He is a member of our Risk and Governance sub-committee and Employment sub-committee.

Born in Samoa, Leiua moved to New Zealand at five years old. Her heritage is from the villages of Leulumoega, Satuimalufilufi, Lufilufi, Apolima-Uta and Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, and is Afakasi.
Leiua started working with YouthLaw in 2019 with the Project Team, and is a new member to the Board. She is studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology and Sociology at Auckland University. Last year she graduated from Southern Cross Campus, where she was a prefect and proxime accessit. Being a prefect she says, made her an advocate for students’ voices. Leiua says she loves being in spaces that make youth grow, being surrounded by passionate people and “brown excellency”, and everything she does is for her village. In her free time, Leiua enjoys exploring Auckland, playing volleyball and listening to music.

Veisinia Maka is of Tongan descent and hails from the villages of Folaha and Longoteme. She was raised in the hearty suburbs of Mangere and Panmure. Veisinia is a dedicated advocate for increased youth inclusiveness concerning the development of communities, systems, and processes. She is an undergraduate University of Auckland student studying a Bachelor Arts and Law, majoring in Sociology. Veisinia is currently a SkyCity Trustee, Assessor for Creative New Zealand and previously the Chairperson of Auckland Council’s Youth Advisory Panel, Chairperson of the Tāmaki Youth Council and a Kiwibank Local Hero. In her spare time, she dedicates her time to writing a blog called, ‘Brown Privilege’ in the hopes to share her lessons and learnings within institution through the eyes of a young Pasifika woman. She believes that storytelling can change the world and encourages young people to influence change by sharing the one thing that no one can take away from you – your experiences.

He uri tēnei o Taranaki Maunga me te whakatohea. Kurarauringa, a lawyer at Harris Tate in Tauranga Moana, brings a wealth of leadership experience and a background in high-performance sports. Kurarauringa previously spent 4 years as a Youth Engagement Advisor designing programmes that focus on developmental education for rangatahi. Initially obtaining funding and incorporating ministry objectives into the programme whilst also networking and maintaining relationships with government and community organisations. With a strong commitment to equity, Kurarauringa is dedicated to ensuring that opportunities for success are accessible to all. Kurarauringa takes the view that colonial law was written by people, and therefore can be re-written by the people, which is why she is actively involved with Youthlaw Aotearoa, as it champions the rights of Rangatahi throughout the legislative process and provides support and education to the community.
“Ko te pae tawhiti whāia kia tata, ko te pae tata whakamaua kia tina. The potential for tomorrow depends on what we do today.”

Piers has been involved with YouthLaw since it started in 1987. He was a lawyer from 1965 to 2021, specialising in Maritime Law and Cultural Heritage Law. He helped set up the first CAB legal advice and referral service in 1970 and the first Community Law Centre in Grey Lynn in 1977 (now the Auckland Community Law Centre).

Katherine (she/her) currently works at Community Law in Canterbury as a Legal Educator and Receptionist as well as working with the Beneficiary Advisory Service operating their website and social media.

Born and raised in Ōtautahi she graduated from the University of Canterbury with an Honours degree in Media and Communications. This is her first year on the YouthLaw board.

Katherine is a passionate advocate for the rights of women, young people and the LGBTQ+ community.