Andrea Twaddle
Director, Employment Law and Workplace Investigations
Director, Employment Law and Workplace Investigations
Andrea is an experienced, highly effective, specialist employment lawyer and workplace investigator.
Andrea is well known for providing astute, commercially sound and pragmatic advice. Her prior experience in human resources ensures a first-hand understanding that people are essential to an organisation’s success and that there are rewards and challenges that arise from managing staff.
Andrea is recognised as one of few specialists in the greater Waikato region to conduct high quality, independent workplace investigations into allegations of misconduct (including harassment and bullying). She is a member of the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI), and holds the AWI Institute Certificate in international best practice investigations.
Andrea has a specialist interest and expertise in sectors including health (in particular mental health), sport and recreation, and education. She provides advice and representation in Coronial Inquiries. Andrea was Counsel for respondent employers in the pay equity claim for Support Workers in the mental health sector, from which a successful settlement was negotiated with Government and legislation followed.
Andrea is frequently sought after as a commentator and educator on employment law issues. She presents to client and industry seminars (including the New Zealand Law Society, LexisNexis, ConfereNZ, EMA and various Chambers of Commerce), and provides advice and training to other lawyers, professional advisors, human resources practitioners, directors and leadership teams. Andrea has guest lectured at the University of Waikato, and has served on the (then) Waikato Bay of Plenty District Law Society, and as the Co-Convenor of the Waikato Bay of Plenty Branch NZLS Employment Law Committee.
Andrea is a Trustee and current Deputy Chair of Child Matters, New Zealand’s leading charitable trust dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect through education of whanau, community and workforce. She also contributes governance expertise as a member of the Cambridge Primary School Board of Trustees, where she is presently the Chairperson.
In the past, Andrea has also assisted clients with legal advice about resource management issues. Her work in this area included water allocation, environmental compliance, rural issues, environmental prosecutions, due diligence, advocacy for consent and planning processes, as well as appearances in the District, Environment and Maori Land Courts.