Steven Sutton Steven Sutton
  1. Home
  2. Our People
  3. Steven Sutton
Steven Sutton
Special Counsel
Wellington
Public Law and Regulation
+64 4 819 7893 DDI [email protected] https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-sutton-05155756/
Profile Experience Insights
Profile

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, and a lawyer in the Beehive. His career spans commercial work at Russell McVeagh, appointment as a government department deputy chief executive, in market trade representation in China, and legal work for two years based in the Beehive.

He has first-hand experience of advising ministers, public sector senior leadership, strategy and project implementation, negotiating with overseas governments, Cabinet decision making processes, policy-development, Māori policy issues, and government inquiries. 

Until 2022, Steven worked as a deputy chief executive at Te Puni Kōkiri | Ministry of Māori Development, the government’s principal policy advisor on Māori wellbeing and development. As a member of the ministry’s executive leadership team, he shared responsibility for strategy setting and advising Ministers. His specific responsibilities covered risk and assurance, project management, governance, ministerial services, and providing strategic and tactical advice to the chief executive.

In particular, Steven has on the ground experience from working in China for five years as an agricultural trade representative, and as an in house lawyer at the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), giving him up front experience on exporting, food production, and the dairy, fisheries, forestry, honey, horticulture, meat, and wine industries. Meanwhile, he honed his expertise in public law through two years as an the in house constitutional advisor in the Beehive at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC).
 
Steven began his legal career at Russell McVeagh, working from 2008 and 2014 in the Public Law and Policy team.

Related Expertise

Public Law & Regulation
International Trade & Investment
Regulatory
Forestry
Transportation, Shipping & Logistics
Public Works Act
Experience

In his private and public sector work, Steven has advised on a range of public and regulatory issues, including:

  • Strategic advice, and immediate tactical advice, over two and a half years to the chief executive of a government department on the full range of political, policy, and regulatory considerations affecting the department.

  • Interpreting the market access rules for New Zealand goods exported to China, and assisting officials and industry representatives with the rules.

  • Bilateral negotiations with Chinese regulators.

  • Managing a government department’s participation in an inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2013, including preparing the department’s submissions, evidence, accompanying witnesses, and advising the chief executive and deputy chief executives both as witnesses and on the department’s strategy.

  • Advising the Prime Minister and Ministers on decision making processes, including managing conflicts of interest, and Cabinet Manual rules.

  • Advising on a law reform project spanning 15 countries.

  • Acting as advisor to a select committee on a members bill.

  • Advising on the regulatory impact of proposed industry restructuring in the horticulture sector.

  • Advising on the drafting of regulations and tertiary-level notices.

Insights

This website collects cookies to deliver a better user experience. Please accept to agree to us using cookies. More information is available in our privacy policy.