The new firm will serve the Auckland, Tauranga and Hawke’s Bay markets
Former Copeland Ashcroft lawyers Kate Ashcroft, Myriam Mitchell, Christie McGregor and Shi Sheng Cai have launched workplace law specialist firm Ashcroft Mitchell McGregor.
The new firm, which began operating on 1 August, has branches in Auckland, Tauranga and Hawke’s Bay. It focuses on advising employers regarding employment law, health and safety, immigration and workplace relations issues.
Ashcroft noted that workplace law was “changing fast - and this makes it hard for employers to keep up”.
“It’s not just personal grievance claims employers are facing with staff now. We’re seeing more disputes around privacy and human rights”, McGregor added.
Mitchell highlighted mental health as another significant area.
“As well as the typical WorkSafe matters, in the health and safety space mental health is very much still a major area employers are needing to be across, both in day-to-day management and in disputes”, she said.
Ashcroft Mitchell McGregor has also incorporated immigration law expertise into its offerings with the addition of Cai as a partner. Cai has tackled visa matters as well as residence and special direction cases.
“Immigration’s picking up again. With tighter compliance rules under the AEWV scheme, it’s all about helping employers bring the right people to New Zealand, quickly and easily with no INZ hold ups and workforce planning so that workers and employers are aware of residence and compliance requirements”, he said. “There is also an uptick (over 214 applications as at 7 July 2025) of investors looking to gain residence under the new Active Investor Plus Growth and Balance categories”.
The restructuring of Copeland Ashcroft was first announced in May.
