Steven brings an insider’s perspective on how government operates from a decade advising at the cutting edge of domestic and international public law and policy issues, including as a deputy chief executive at Te Puni Kōkiri | Ministry of Māori Development, a China-based trade representative for five years, and a lawyer in the Beehive.
He has first-hand experience of the practical and legal side of advising ministers, public sector senior leadership, strategy and project implementation, negotiating with China's government agencies, Cabinet decision making processes, policy-development, Māori policy issues, and government inquiries.
In particular, Steven has on the ground experience from working in China for five years, and as an in house lawyer at the Ministry for Primary Industries, giving him industry experience in natural resources, food production and exporting, and the dairy, fisheries, forestry, honey, horticulture, meat, and wine industries.
Steven began his legal career at Russell McVeagh, working from 2008 and 2014 in the Public Law and Policy team.