+64 7 839 4771

Michelle Urquhart

Michelle Urquhart

Senior Associate

To make an appointment, please contact Christine White christine.white@tompkinswake.co.nz

Qualifications : JP, BCom, University of Canterbury, LLB (Hons), University of Waikato, AAMINZ.

Michelle is a senior associate based in Rotorua. In addition to her experience working in a large regional law firm, Michelle also worked for the Ministry of Justice where she was a Disputes Tribunal Referee.

Michelle has specific expertise in employment law and immigration issues and has a particular interest in cross-cultural disputes.  She acts on a wide range of employment and immigration matters including assisting with immigration applications and acting for parties in employment disputes.  She also provides independent employment investigation services.

Michelle is an Associate of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand and an appointed member of the Mediation Panel. She acts as a mediator in a wide range of HR, civil and commercial disputes. Michelle is a guest lecturer and assessor at Te Piringa Law Faculty of Waikato University for the Year 4 Mediation paper teaching both Ethics and Privilege.

Areas of expertise

  • Civil Litigation
  • Consumer Law
  • Employment Law
  • Dispute Resolution and Mediation
  • Employment Agreements and Policies
  • Employing Migrants
  • Obtaining Residence and Citizenship
  • Employer Accreditation
  • Family Based Visas
  • Global Impact Visas
  • Investor Based Applications
  • Character and Health Waiver Requests
  • Section 61 Applications
  • Immigration and Protection Tribunal Appeals
  • Requests for Ministerial Intervention
  • Consumer Guarantees Act
  • Immigration Advice

  • Justice of the Peace
  • Associate of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand

Changes to Post-Study Work Visa

The New Zealand border re-opening means International Students are now returning to New Zealand. Historically, many international students want to sta...

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Simple mistakes wipe out immigration visas

Work visa applications are being declined because of simple mistakes. As employers struggled to find staff, work visa rules and Immigration New Zealan...

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AEW Visa: Job check applications opened 20 June

The second stage of Immigration New Zealand’s Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) opened on 20 June 2022.  This is the Job Check stage, which allows ...

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Employer Accreditation for New Work Visa Opens 23 May

The first stage of Immigration New Zealand’s Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) – the Employer Check (or accreditation) – opens from 23 May 2022. Th...

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First stage of changes to work visa scheme revealed

On 16 July 2021, the Minister of Immigration announced the delay of the AEWV scheme until mid 2022 due to the ongoing impact of COVID19 on employers. ...

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Employers of migrants beware - communication is vital

There is often an uneasy relationship between employment law and Immigration law when it comes to employing migrants on work visas tied to a specific ...

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Expertise