A chat with 2025 Public In-house Lawyer of the Year award winner, Rose Mein
Rose Mein, Manager Legal Services – Public, International and Commercial, Maritime New Zealand and winner of the 2025 Public In-house Lawyer of the Year award, chatted with ILANZ about winning the award, how she keeps grounded when work is demanding and more.
How did it feel to win the 2025 Public In-house Lawyer of the year Award?
I was still recovering from my elation at my wonderful colleague Suzanne winning the MAS New In-house Lawyer award and felt a little unprepared to hear my name called out! It all felt a little overwhelming, but it was a really lovely feeling to be recognised. I’m very thankful to my Chief Legal Dave Whiteridge for nominating me and his ongoing support in my role, as well as the rest of our Legal Team who are such a great bunch of humans to work with. I also had some lovely references provided by other colleagues in support, which really meant a lot.
Within the space of four months there were three incidents that saw MNZ's maritime incident response team stand up and, in each case, you were quickly brought in as the dedicated lawyer for the response team. Can you talk more about your role in these incidents and how you and your team navigated these together?
As well as being a regulator, Maritime NZ is also a response agency. Within our legal team we have a number of lawyers who are CIMS trained, and regularly attend exercises and training with our dedicated response teams. In the event of a major maritime related incident – e.g. a large ship running aground, losing power, or otherwise getting into trouble – Maritime NZ stands up its National Maritime Response Team (NMRT). The NMRT will be scaled to the significance and complexity of the incident, but it will usually require representatives from the Legal Team to assist. In some cases this may mean heading in to the head office in Wellington, or it may mean deploying to the site of the incident to assist with functions in the immediate vicinity. The lawyer’s role is primarily to support the Director of Maritime NZ (who has a number of statutory powers in relation to maritime incidents), the Incident Controller (who has delegated authority from the Director for a number of response powers) and the National On-Scene Commander (who holds statutory powers in relation to national marine oil spill incidents). Legal support could range from assisting with advising on jurisdiction, exercise of statutory powers, drafting or review of notices or communications, advice relating to insurance or potential compensation claims, and anything else we’re well placed to assist with – which may even involve a run to the local pie shop to feed the troops. There are two sayings I’ve heard recently which really resonate with me: “You walk into a response with the relationships you’ve got, not necessarily the relationships you need”, and “You want to walk into a response saying ‘How are you?’, not ‘Who are you?’”. I think these both really speak to the value in getting to know the people you’re likely to be thrown into a stressful response environment with, which is something we really encourage at Maritime NZ.
What’s something that keeps you grounded when work is demanding?
I have a few mantras on repeat: This too shall pass; Let go or be dragged; Done is better than perfect. My dog Alfie is also an excellent source of support and distraction. If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed a cuddle or walk with a dog works a treat.
You and your team at Maritime New Zealand also took home the MAS New In-house Lawyer of the Year Award (Suzanne Trounson) and the Greenwood Roche Public Sector In-house Team of the Year Award. What was it like sharing these achievements with your colleagues and with Suzanne on the night?
We were absolutely blown away. I’m so proud of the team and all they’ve achieved in the last year. It was so great to be able to bring the award home for the wider team. It reinforced how fortunate I am to work alongside such committed and capable colleagues. Also, the theme of the evening, ‘Set sail’, really contributed to it feeling like it was our night – we felt very much at home with all the nautical costumes!
What would you say to someone thinking about nominating themselves or a co-worker for an ILANZ award?
I would say go for it. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on the year that’s been and to focus on what you’ve achieved. The ILANZ conference, and the awards themselves provide such a great platform for lawyers to highlight the range of interesting work they get involved in. It’s always so interesting to hear the breadth and intricacies that an in-house career path offers. Get your own stories out there!
The ILANZ Awards are presented at our Gala Dinner and
Awards Ceremony, following the ILANZ Conference. This year's
Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony was sponsored by Meredith Connell.