Vanessa Taal
People and Culture Advisor
tel:+64 7 927 2755
mailto:vanessa.taal@hobec.co.nz
Contact:
- DDI: +64 7 927 2755
- M: +64 27 475 2555
- E: vanessa.taal@hobec.co.nz
Vanessa is a People and Culture Advisor at Holland Beckett.
Vanessa relocated from Wellington to Tauranga in 2022 and joined our People & Culture team in 2024. She brings experience from leadership and management roles across operations, payroll, and administration in diverse industries, building a strong foundation in both people and business operations.
In her role, Vanessa supports the full employee lifecycle with responsibilities across recruitment, remuneration, training and development, payroll, wellness initiatives, diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I), health & safety and performance management.
She is commited to fostering a positive, inclusive workplace culture and driving initiatives that enable employees and the business to succeed.
Outside of work, Vanessa enjoys exploring the outdoors, staying active, and making the most of the beautiful Bay of Plenty lifestyle.
Vanessa Taal's News & Resources
Hobec voted 2nd ‘best overall’ law employer for graduates in Prosple 2026 rankings
We are delighted to share that, once again, Holland Beckett has been voted one of the best employers in the country for law graduates in the Prosple ‘Top 100 Graduate Employers’ 2026.
Prosple is an early-career platform that helps students and graduates explore job opportunities, internships and employers across New Zealand. Every year, Prosple publishes its Top 100 Graduate Employers™ Guide to help students and recent graduates discover the best places to kickstart their careers. These rankings are based on data from student surveys, graduate reviews, application volumes, salaries, work conditions and more.
It’s all about showcasing the places where young professionals felt genuinely supported, challenged and valued during their internships and clerkships - and we\'re proud to rank highly in many of the categories.
Notably, in law, we have ranked #2 out of 40 in \'Best Overall\' employers.
This ranking is based primarily on feedback from verified graduate and intern reviews across categories like career progression, learning & development, meaningful work, and diversity & inclusion. Prosple also factors in reputation, work hours and salary, weighting each category according to its average importance to students.
Over all industries, we have been voted #36 out of the top 100 in \'Best Overall\' graduate employers nationwide.
You can find more information and all rankings on the Prosple website here: Top employers by career path.
We are proud to be recognised as a great place to work. We strive to offer fulfilling legal careers, support, development and progression from our world-class offices in the Bay of Plenty. For more information about working with us, visit our careers page.
Holland Beckett recognised in the 2025 Prosple Awards
We’re thrilled to share that Holland Beckett has been recognised as one of New Zealand’s top law employers for graduates in the 2025 Prosple Awards.
Prosple is an early-career platform that helps students and graduates explore job opportunities, internships and employers across New Zealand. Each year, they survey thousands of students and recent grads across Aotearoa, gathering honest feedback about what their experiences were really like; what worked, what didn’t, and what made a lasting impact. It’s all about showcasing the places where young professionals felt genuinely supported, challenged and valued during their internships and clerkships.
This year, we were voted as New Zealand’s 3rd Top Law Employer for Graduates.
We also earnt \'Top 5 Law Firm\' honours in five categories:
Culture
Work-life Balance
Training & Development
Best Meaningful Work
Best Career Progression
Across all industries nationwide, we were voted in at #56.
This is a fantastic result that reflects the heart of our firm: our people, our values and our commitment to helping early-career professionals thrive!
Across all industries in each measure (Top 100 Overall), we landed:
17th – Career Progression
14th – Sustainability
33rd – Meaningful Work
35th – Training & Development
44th – Diversity & Inclusion
48th – Culture
73rd – Work life Balance
88th – Most Popular Overall
You can find more information and all rankings on the Prosple website here: Top employers by career path.
We are proud to be recognised as a great place to work. We strive to offer fulfilling legal careers, support, development and progression from our world-class office in the Bay of Plenty. For more information about working with us, visit our careers page.
Summer Clerk 2026/2027
Holland Beckett runs a summer clerk programme every year from November to February in our Tauranga and Rotorua offices. This is a great opportunity for students in their penultimate year of study, to work in one of Bay of Plenty’s top law firms alongside some of the Bays’ best solicitors.
Watch the video to learn more about our summer clerk programme:
As a summer clerk at Holland Beckett, you will get to experience work in our Property, Commercial, Corporate, Litigation, Family, Employment and Resource Management practice areas, have ongoing technical and soft skill training, meet some great people and have all the benefits of working in a large provincial firm.
Our aim is for each of our summer clerks to have a great summer, get to know our firm, our people and our culture and values.
Benefits
We aim to be an employer of choice for the most talented people.
As a summer intern, on top of a competitive salary, you’ll receive:
Paid Christmas leave
Invitations to social events throughout the summer, allowing you to meet other staff and summer interns
Invitations to team and firmwide Christmas events
Team community days
Involvement in our sports teams
Attendance at professional development/leadership webinars and seminars
One-on-one time with Partners
Who can apply?
Our 2026/2027 summer clerk programme will be aimed at law students in their penultimate year of study and who can join us as a Law Clerk in February 2028.
Successful applicants will:
Have an acceptable grade point average (please provide your official academic transcript provided by your university, screenshots will not be accepted)
Be in their penultimate year of law school
Have good communication skills
Be driven, self-motivated and enthusiastic
How to apply
Applications for our 2025/2026 summer clerk programme have now closed.
Applications for our 2026/2027 summer clerk programme will open at 9:00am 23 February 2026. Pre-register here.
Summer Clerk Recruitment Dates
23 February 2026: Applications open at 9:00am.
23 March 2026: Applications close 12:00pm.
24 March 2026: Applications begin to be reviewed.
3 April 2026: Applicants will be notified if they have made it to the first stage of our Recruitment Process which is an initial Telephone Interview with one of the People & Culture Team. This is an opportunity to gain clarity around where you are in your study and the ‘why’ behind applying to Holland Beckett.
10 April 2026: Successful applicants will be invited for an in-person or Teams call interview with two Holland Beckett Partners.
13 April - 24 April 2026: In-person & Teams call interviews will take place.
20 May 2026: Summer Clerk Offers made to successful applicants.
Our interview style is designed to let us get to know you, and for you to get an understanding of the firm. This is an opportunity for you to come prepared (do your research on Holland Beckett), arrive on time, showcase why you want to work at Holland Beckett and prepare any questions you may have.
If you have any questions about the Summer Clerk Programme or our application process, please do not hesitate to contact our People & Culture Team.
Ngāti Whakaue Internship Programme 2026/2027
He whakatakinga
Taiāwhiowhio ana te rere o te kupu mihi ki a koutou.
Kua whakarauika i te rā nei.
Otirā ki te kaupapa e paihere nei i a koutou.
Holland Beckett, in conjunction with Pukeroa Oruawhata Group, introduced a summer clerk programme in 2022 for students who whakapapa to one of the 6 koromatua of Ngāti Whakaue.
This is a great opportunity for law students who are in their last two years of study to work in one of the Bay of Plenty’s top law firms alongside some of the Bays’ best solicitors.
Our Ngāti Whakaue Internship Programme will run at the same time as our annual summer clerk programme over the university summer holidays. As an intern at Holland Beckett, you will get to experience real-world work, have ongoing technical and soft skill training, meet some great people and have all the benefits of working in a large provincial firm.
Our aim is for each of our interns to have a great summer, get to know our firm, our people and our culture and values.
Benefits
We aim to be an employer of choice for the most talented people.
As a summer intern, on top of a competitive salary, you’ll receive:
Paid Christmas leave
Invitations to social events throughout the summer, allowing you to meet other staff and summer interns
Invitations to team and firmwide Christmas events
Team community days
Involvement in our sports teams
Attendance at professional development/leadership webinars and seminars
One-on-one time with Partners
Who can apply?
Our 2026/2027 Ngāti Whakaue Internship Programme will be aimed at law students in their penultimate year of study and who can join us as a Law Clerk in February 2028.
Successful applicants will:
Whakapapa to one of the 6 koromatua of Ngāti Whakaue
Be in their penultimate year of law school
Have an acceptable grade point average (please provide your official academic transcript provided by your university, screenshots will not be accepted).
Have good communication skills
Be driven, self-motivated and enthusiastic
How to apply
Applications for our 2025/2026 Ngāti Whakaue Internship Programme have now closed.
Applications for our 2026/2027 Ngāti Whakaue Internship Programme will open at 9:00am 23 February 2026. Pre-register here.
Ngāti Whakaue Internship Recruitment Dates
23 February 2026: Applications open at 9:00am.
23 March 2026: Applications close 12:00pm.
24 March 2026: Applications begin to be reviewed.
3 April 2026: Applicants will be notified if they have made it to the first stage of our Recruitment Process which is an initial Telephone Interview with one of the People & Culture Team. This is an opportunity to gain clarity around where you are in your study and the ‘why’ behind applying to Holland Beckett. *Please note - you will also need to provide proof that you Whakapapa to one of the 6 koromatua of Ngāti Whakaue.
10 April 2026: Successful applicants will be invited for an in-person or Teams call interview with two Holland Beckett Partners.
13 April - 24 April 2026: In-person & Teams call interviews will take place.
20 May 2026: Ngāti Whakaue Internship Offers made to successful applicants.
Our interview style is designed to let us get to know you, and for you to get an understanding of the firm. This is an opportunity for you to come prepared (do your research on Holland Beckett), arrive on time, showcase why you want to work at Holland Beckett and prepare any questions you may have.
If you have any questions about the Ngāti Whakaue Internship Programme or our application process, please do not hesitate to contact our People & Culture Team.
Me mahi tahi tatou mō te orange o te katoa.
Graduate Programme
At Holland Beckett we take pride in hiring, growing and retaining the best legal talent.
Watch the video to learn more about our Graduate Programme:
Joining our team in either our Tauranga, Rotorua or Whakatāne offices, you will get the vital building blocks for launching your career while working alongside exceptional lawyers. You will be working on challenging and interesting legal work, while enjoying a unique team culture that sets our firm apart.
Our graduate development programme has produced top quality lawyers over many years. In addition to our general offering outlined above, law clerks will receive:
A competitive salary
Laptop, mobile phone and call plan
$1,000 clothing allowance
A five year graduate pathway
Transparency around progression and remuneration
Paid leave to attend Profs block course
Profs paid for by the firm and bonded for two years
3 year anniversary retention bonus or 3 months paid leave
5 year anniversary retention bonus
Annual salary review
Discretionary bonuses for exceptional performance
A mentor/buddy
Graduate group training sessions specifically designed to develop your legal and professional skills
A range of fantastic social and community focused opportunities
Who can apply?
Our 2027 Graduate Programme will be aimed at law students in their final year of study.
Successful applicants will:
Have an acceptable grade point average (please provide your official academic transcript provided by your university, screenshots will not be accepted)
Be in their final year of law school
Have good communication skills
Be driven, self-motivated and enthusiastic
Applications for our 2026 Graduate Programme are now closed.
Applications for our 2027 Graduate Programme will open at 9:00am 23 February 2026. Pre-register here.
Graduate Recruitment Dates
23 February 2026: Applications open at 9:00am.
23 March 2026: Applications close 12:00pm.
24 March 2026: Applications begin to be reviewed.
3 April 2026: Applicants will be notified if they have made it to the first stage of our Recruitment Process which is an initial Telephone Interview with one of the People & Culture Team. This is an opportunity to gain clarity around where you are in your study and the ‘why’ behind applying to Holland Beckett.
10 April 2026: Successful applicants will be invited for an in-person or Teams call interview with two Holland Beckett Partners.
13 April - 24 April 2026: In-person & Teams call interviews will take place.
4 May 2026: Shortlisted Graduate applicants will be invited for a second in-person Interview with two Holland Beckett Partners, followed by a function with the Holland Beckett Partnership.
14 May 2026: In-person Interviews and Function with the Holland Beckett Partnership.
20 May 2026: Graduate Offers made to successful applicants.
Our interview style is designed to let us get to know you, and for you to get an understanding of the firm. This is an opportunity for you to come prepared (do your research on Holland Beckett), arrive on time, showcase why you want to work at Holland Beckett and prepare any questions you may have.
If you have any questions about the Graduate Programme or our application process, please do not hesitate to contact our People & Culture Team.