2025 – A Year In Review – In Pictures

8 Dec 2025

2025 has been a very good year for Lovegrove & Cotton, marked by national and international engagements, major thought-leadership contributions, academic honours, and collaboration with industry leaders in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Europe, and Southeast Asia. From high-level policy roundtables and conference addresses to global meetings of regulators, professional bodies, and IBQC and CEBC leaders, the year has showcased the firm’s growing influence in building regulation, liability reform, and construction law.

This photographic collection captures the key moments, milestones, and relationships that shaped our 2025. Thank you to all who contributed to a year defined by momentum, recognition, and impact.

On 7 April 2025, a national roundtable was hosted by MBIE and chaired by Kim Lovegrove on Liability Reform Options for the NZ Building Act. 

Pictured from left to right: Justin Cotton, Prof (Adj) Robert Gordon Whittaker AM FRSN HonDConstM(CQU) DLitt(HC-WSyd) Dep chair IBQC International Building Quality Centre, Her Honour Judge Sharon Burchell (Head of the Commercial Division, County Court of Victoria & Vice President of the VCAT, Kim Lovegrove chair of the roundtable, Construction Minister The Honourable Chris Penk MP and Tsigereda Lovegrove of Lovegrove Cotton Lawyers.

In August 2025, Construction Minister the Honourable Chris Penk announced that New Zealand would adopt proportionate liability in the building sector. This was followed on 25 November by a further announcement from Minister Penk confirming that mandatory insurance for key actors in the sector would also be introduced.

Kim Lovegrove addressed the MBIE Roundtable on Liability Reform Options.
 
Justin Cotton addressed the MBIE Roundtable with ‘Boots on the Ground; A Construction Lawyer’s View on Proportionate Liability in Victoria‘.
Between 26 and 28 May 2025, BOINZ hosted its 2025 Conference in Christchurch to which Kim Lovegrove was a keynote speaker.
 
Pictured from left to right: David Chandler OAM – Former NSW Building Commissioner; Kim Lovegrove – Chair, IBQC and Founder, Lovegrove and Cotton Lawyers, Nick Hill – CEO, BOINZ; Neil Savery – CEO, ICC Oceania & IBQC Board Member
Pictured here is Kim Lovegrove delivering an address to the 2025 BOINZ Annual Symposium & BCA Leaders Forum at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, titled: “International Best Practice Approaches to the Design of Building Regulatory Ecology”.

On 8 May 2025, Tsigereda Lovegrove and Kim Lovegrove met with senior officials from RICS at the Big Hall at Lincoln’s Inn in London. 

Pictured from left to right: Tsigereda Lovegrove, Practice Manager, Lovegrove & Cotton Construction Lawyers and Secretary IBQC Dispute Resolution Committee; Kim Lovegrove, Chair, IBQC; Founder, Lovegrove & Cotton Construction Lawyers; Martin Burns, Head of ADR Research and Development, RICS; Gemma Beasley, Dispute Resolution Services Operations Manager, RICS; Gary Strong BSc(Hons), FRICS, FCIArb, C.BuildE, FCABE, FCILA, Director of Practice Standards & Technical Guidance, RICS; Global Building Standards Director, RICS; Chair.

On 8 May 2025, IBQC and CEBC Leaders gathered at Savoy, London, a Meeting of Moment to Develop Best Practice Liability Guidelines.
 
Key Attendees: Seated at the back was Kevin Dawson. At the table, from left to right, were Tsigereda Lovegrove (Secretary, IBQC Dispute Resolution Committee), Dame Judith Hackitt (IBQC Board Member), Kim Lovegrove (Chair, IBQC), Wim Hoppenbrouwers (CEBC), and Marcin Cudak (Secretary-General, Consortium of European Building Control).
On 12 May 2025, IBQC European Board Members gathered at University College London for a landmark in-person meeting.
 
Present at the gathering and featured in the official photo (from left) were Tsigereda Lovegrove, Secretary, IBQC Dispute Resolution Committee; IBQC Board members – Professor Robert Hertle, Technische Universität München (TUM);  Kim Lovegrove , Chair, IBQC; the auto-icon (preserved figure) of Jeremy Bentham; Dame Judith Hackitt, Stephanie Barwise KC; and Professor José Torero, University College London (UCL).
On 7 June 2025, WSU Chancellor Jennifer Westacott AC conferred a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) upon Kim Lovegrove.
On 17 June 2025, Kim Lovegrove addressed a conference by the Malaysian Productivity Commission as a subject matter expert on behalf of the World Bank in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The address was on best practice approaches to the design of construction dispute resolution ecology. 
Pictured here is Kim Lovegrove visiting the World Bank offices in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
On 20 June 2025, Tsigereda Lovegrove was appointed as an Adjunct Fellow at Southern Cross University.
On 22 July 2025, Justin Cotton and Kim Lovegrove participated on a panel of well regarded legal and academic experts at the “Shaping the Future” Strata Defects Symposium, hosted by Network Pacific and Deakin University.
On 6 August 2025, Kim Lovegrove, on behalf of the IBQC met with Anna Cronin, Victorian Building & Plumbing Commissioner & CEO, Dr Todd Bentley Chief, Strategy Officer & Joint Executive Lead Regulatory and, Shobini Mahendra, Chief Analyst, Research & Review at the new BPC offices. 
 
There was a high-level exchange of ideas on best practice approaches to building control, with many of the insights grounded in the Victorian regulatory context.
Between 7-9 October, Kim Lovegrove presented at the FIRE NZ Conference and Tradeshow on regulation, risk, and resilience.
Between 28–30 October 2025, Kim Lovegrove participated in the Society of Construction Law New Zealand’s Proportionate Liability on the Move seminar series, pictured here presenting in Christchurch on 29 October alongside Mark Colthart LLM (Hons), FCIArb, FAMINZ (Arb).
Pictured here is Kim Lovegrove presenting on Proportionate Liability at the Society of Construction Law New Zealand Seminar in Auckland on 30 October 2025.

Closing remarks

As we reflect on this significant year, it is clear that our collective efforts have strengthened the firm’s standing both locally and internationally. The milestones captured in these images highlight not only individual achievements but the shared commitment, expertise, and energy that drive Lovegrove & Cotton forward. Thank you to everyone who contributed, supported, and represented the firm with distinction throughout 2025. We look forward to building on this momentum and embracing the opportunities that lie ahead in 2026.