Keystone Trust welcomes a new sponsor to its family which will see more industry engagement and opportunity for the property and law students it supports during their tertiary study.
Lane Neave is delighted to have committed to sponsorship of Keystone Trust, supporting the important mahi the trust does to help future leaders in the property industry realise their ambitions.
Recognised as one of New Zealand’s leading full-service law firms, Lane Neave is proud of the diverse range of legal minds within the firm. Harnessing the power of that diversity is key, evidenced by the project-based approach taken by the Commercial Property, Resource Management and Construction teams. The lawyers in these teams work closely together, weaving together the different strands of expertise to provide client-focused solutions delivering successful projects throughout New Zealand.
Lane Neave joining the prestigious Keystone sponsor group is particularly special for firm Partner and national Resource Management head Josh Leckie who has a long-standing relationship with Keystone. Josh was a recipient of a Keystone Trust scholarship in 2003, and went on to graduate with an LLB/BSc in Land Planning and Land Development from the University of Otago before working at Keystone sponsor companies Westfield (now Scentre Group) and Bell Gully.
Josh’s position as an alumnus of the programme gives him unique insight into why Keystone and Lane Neave are a good match: “At the firm, we appreciate the huge value that comes from our lawyers having a range of views and backgrounds. It enhances our reputation and skill as a firm, both in terms of the innovative solutions we can offer to our clients, and in the way we work together within the firm.
“We see those values reflected in Keystone’s drivers. Opening up professions like law and offering opportunities to students who may not otherwise have the chance to go to university is such an important part of social mobility and the democratisation of tertiary study, for the benefit of all – including firms like ours.”
Josh reflects on how Keystone continues to shape his professional life: “Being awarded a Keystone scholarship unlocked huge opportunities for me and gave me the foundation to build the education, work experience, interpersonal skills and connections critical to success in our industry. Once you’re involved in the programme, you’re on a path to a successful career and with my fellow Lane Neave team I am looking forward to helping others in this way. Eighteen years on, I take great enjoyment and pride in connecting with long-standing colleagues and friends involved with Keystone – either as trustees, sponsors or past scholarship recipients – and because of my Keystone background, those relationships are instantly strengthened.
“I am incredibly proud and humbled to have Lane Neave now involved with Keystone, especially when I look back at the 18 year old from Winton who pulled on his Central Southland College uniform and went to a Keystone interview at Bell Gully in Auckland (once I found out what a taxi chit was) for the day back in 2003.”
Keystone Trust is delighted to be working with one of ‘our own’.
“There is something truly special about having an alumni bring their company into the sponsor whanau. Knowing that the values and social impact of the Trust are as relevant today as they were when the Trust was established in 1994, keeps us inspired and focused on the future,” says Amanda Stanes, General Manager of Keystone Trust.
