Workplace Savings Half-Yearly Function 2025

The FSC and Workplace Savings Committee invite the Workplace Savings community to an in-person Half-Yearly Function in Wellington and Auckland on Wednesday 21 May 2025.

This in-person event is open to all Trustees (including Chairs and LITs), and service providers to restricted workplace savings schemes.

Chapman Tripp will kindly host the event at their Wellington & Auckland offices - with live online feeds between both venues and the opportunity for Q&A.

Speakers will discuss identity theft and ways to deal with it, Defined Benefit schemes consolidation, GST and wind-up issues, and an update from the FMA. 

Date and time: Wednesday 21 May from 5.00pm - 7.00pm

Join us for networking drinks at 5.00pm, with the programme beginning at 5:30pm.

Speakers include:

Grace Rippingale
Partner, Chapman Tripp

Grace specialises in working with clients on complex legal issues and disputes. She advises private and public sector clients on a broad range of matters with particular expertise in disputes and other areas of legal risk involving insurance, maritime, corporate governance, and contractual and statutory interpretation.

Her skills include managing complex multi-disciplinary matters and working closely with clients to provide advice that responds to their specific commercial, operational and policy context.

Mike Woodbury
Consultant, Chapman Tripp

Specialising in investment, funds and savings products, Mike has a specific emphasis on workplace savings, KiwiSaver and superannuation and related financial services regulation. He acts for the trustees, managers and sponsors of major workplace savings and KiwiSaver schemes throughout New Zealand.

His retail scheme clients include Smartshares and Westpac. He also acts for the trustees and/or employer sponsors of over 25 restricted workplace savings or KiwiSaver schemes including those sponsored by AMP, Anglican Financial Care, ANZ, Beca and NZAS. He has a strong interest in law reform and policy issues and in recent years he has been instrumental in a number of workplace savings and KiwiSaver legislative reforms, industry exemptions and compliance cost savings initiatives. He was a member of the Government-appointed Savings Product Working Group whose recommendations led to the KiwiSaver legislation. He regularly presents at industry conferences and workshops.

He is recognised as a Senior Statesperson by Chambers Asia Pacific 2024 and as a Leading Individual by Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2024.

Subbu Somasundaram
Principal Adviser, Investment Management, Financial Markets Authority

Subbu is a CFA Charterholder with a strong passion for regulation, finance, and the investment sector. Currently serving as a Principal Adviser in Investment Management, Subbu specialises in Managed Investment Schemes (MIS), KiwiSaver, and restricted schemes. With over six years of experience in New Zealand’s supervisory and regulatory landscape, he brings expertise and insights into oversight of investment managers.

Prior to this, Subbu was a career regulator at the Reserve Bank of India, where he spent more than five years in prudential supervision supervising banks and non-banks.