Tara Grant

Finding space where I could enjoy motherhood and continue my career progression began in 2008, when I first joined Martelli McKegg Lawyers, after working in other legal spaces, both in New Zealand and overseas. 

Five years later, I welcomed my first set of twin daughters and took parental leave. I returned part-time in 2014, gradually increasing my hours as our family life evolved. In 2017, I was promoted to Senior Associate, on the same day as my next period of parental leave. This time preparing for our second set of twins.

Before the arrival of our little two, we moved to Rotorua, where we had the support of whānau. Being in Rotorua allowed our family of six, with four children under four, to find our rhythm and thrive, not just survive.

When I returned to work after parental leave, I became the firm’s first remote lawyer, working from a satellite office at home. That flexibility allowed me to continue doing the work I enjoyed, while raising our young children. I was later promoted to Special Counsel, while continuing to work remotely.

As my children grew and started kura, I stepped into partnership. Still remote, still flexible, and still deeply connected to the firm and its people. Remote working wasn’t a barrier, it was an enabler.

I’m grateful to the partners at Martelli McKegg who held the elevator door open for me and nudged me in when I wasn’t sure I could step through. There was a time when I felt that partnership wasn't part of my future. I knew my priority would ultimately always be my whānau. But with steady encouragement, including, among others, from my partner, Melissa Clark, who came to my home, held small babies, and convinced me that we could create a new way of working, I gained the confidence to challenge norms and forge new paths.

It can be uncomfortable to shine a light on my own path, knowing so many parents manage family and careers so ably — most often without the support I’ve been fortunate to receive. But the Works for Everyone adage, “you can’t be what you can’t see,” resonates with me. I reflect often on the limitations I placed on myself simply because I couldn’t see it (for me).

At home, my husband (who also has a busy job and a successful career) fully shares the parenting responsibilities with me in equal measure—both of us accepting that he’s better at some things, and I’m better at others. He’s always pushed me to “go for it”, never wanting me to limit myself. Of course, my girls feel the pull and push of mahi encroaching on our time together now and then. I remind them that working the way I do and me being able to support clients or help colleagues flexibly, also gives me the chance to be there (cheering from the sidelines at sports games, creating art with them, helping with homework, and showing up at school for special events). The balance isn’t perfect, but it’s real, and it’s ours.

I’ve been fortunate to walk alongside colleagues who’ve inspired me in different ways. A fellow partner and mum, who is also a parent to twins, another who navigated early motherhood while building her career, and many others whose quiet encouragement and example have helped shape my own journey. Their stories remind me that there’s no single path to success, and that shared experience can be a powerful form of support. In sharing, I hope to keep opening doors, moving walls, and making space for others to thrive, wherever they are, and whatever shape their lives and career paths may take.