In Memoriam - Emily McNaughtan (2007 - 2011)

After leaving Wellington Girls' College, Emily attended the University of Otago and graduated with a double degree in Law (First Class Honours) and Commerce.

Emily joined the Law Society in 2020 after working at Chapman Tripp where she'd been in the banking and finance team for several years. Emily was admitted to the bar in 2018 and had also been a summer clerk with Buddle Findlay.

While at the Law Society, Emily worked as the Privacy Officer, then moved to a role in the Legal Team where she worked primarily with the practice approval committees.

Emily’s colleagues remember her immense positive energy, and how she approached each interaction with empathy and kindness. Emily always spoke her mind and was prepared to respectfully challenge on issues – the mark of an excellent lawyer.

Emily was a shining light in the triathlon scene in New Zealand, inspiring others to push themselves and take on challenges. She had worked her way up through the age group categories and had started to stamp her mark as a professional triathlete, highlighted by her third-place finish on debut in the female pro field at last year's IRONMAN New Zealand in Taupo. It was just Emily's second Pro category start and underlined her undoubted talent and promise.

For the past two seasons she’d been named Tri Wellington’s Female Triathlete of the Year. Emily had also played hockey to a high level and gave back to her sporting community through umpiring hockey for over a decade.

At the Triathlon World Champs in Nice her advice to another triathlete was simply “don’t slow down”. Her competitive spirit, unceasing energy and mental strength had seen her succeed in many different fields, and her death is a huge loss.