Qualifications LLB (Hons), University of Waikato.
BLPM, Urban Valuation, Lincoln University.

He mokopuna tēnei nō ngā tai o te Rāwhiti ki te kohu o Te Urewera. Ko Ngāti Ira, Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngā Ariki Kaipūtahi me Ngāi Tūhoe e mihi atu nei.

Melissa is a solicitor in our Dispute Resolution and Litigation team. She and her whānau have returned to Waikato from Wellington, where she was in-house Legal Counsel for Te Tumu Paeroa, the office of the Māori Trustee. Te Tumu Paeroa is an independent trustee organisation administering around 2,000 trusts, companies, and joint ventures, alongside $80 million in client funds on behalf of Māori beneficial landowners.

Melissa advised the Māori Trustee on complex Māori land and trust administration, delivering strategic guidance on urban and rural property management, horticultural enterprises, wills and estates, privacy compliance, data sovereignty, and general corporate matters.

Navigating intergenerational, cultural, and commercial dynamics gave Melissa a firm foundation in balancing competing stakeholder interests and legal, financial, and reputational risk where significant relationships and assets are at stake.

Drawing on her subject-matter expertise she brings the same pragmatic, relationship-focused mindset and tikanga-informed approach to governance, decision-making, and dispute resolution.

Before her legal career, Melissa worked as a property valuer for Quotable Value across eight Waikato Territorial Authorities — Hamilton, Hauraki, Matamata-Piako, Ōtorohanga, Thames-Coromandel, Waikato, Waipā and Waitomo — and was a key contributor to the 2018 Hamilton City and Waitomo District DVR revaluations.

Areas of expertise

Other Credentials

• Board Member, YWCA Waikato
• Former Board Member, Citizens Advice Bureau Hamilton

Professional History

• Tompkins Wake, 2026 – present
• Te Tumu Paeroa, Office of the Māori Trustee, 2023 – 2025
• Te Arawhiti, Office for Māori Crown Relations, GLN Summer Clerk, 2022 – 2023
• MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Summer Clerk, 2021 – 2022
• Quotable Value, 2017 – 2019