Our expertise

We work closely with clients to ensure the best personalised care while utilising our combined expertise to deliver outstanding legal and commercial advice and advocacy.

  • Auckland Council v CP Group Ltd & Ors [2023] NZSC 53

    Acted for two of the hoteliers in their judicial review claim challenging the Auckland Council’s “Accommodation Provider Targeted Rate” bed tax

  • Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Incorporated & Ors v The Environmental Protection Authority & Anor [2021] 1 NZLR 801 (SC); [2020] NZCA 86; [2018] NZHC 2217

    Acting for the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Incorporated in appealing a decision of the Environmental Protection Authority to grant consent for a proposed seabed ironsands mining operation off the Taranaki coast

  • Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Incorporated & Ors v Rangitira Developments Ltd [2020] 1 NZLR 214 (SC); [2018] NZCA 445

    Acting for the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Incorporated in a successful appeal about the interpretation of provisions of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 and Reserves Act 1977 in relation to a proposed coal mine on reserve land

  • Development Auckland Ltd (formerly Auckland Waterfront Development Agency Ltd) v Mobil Oil New Zealand Ltd [2017] 1 NZLR 48 (SC); [2016] 2 NZLR 281 (CA); (2014) 15 NZCPR 391 (HC)

    Acting for a local government organisation seeking to claim from Mobil Oil the substantial cost of cleaning up contaminated land on the Auckland waterfront

  • Skyward Aviation 2008 Ltd v Tower Insurance Ltd [2015] 1 NZLR 341 (SC); [2014] 2 NZLR 713 (CA); [2013] NZHC 1856

    Acting for an insurer in a leading test case on the operation of total replacement policy for residential insureds in the context of Christchurch earthquake claims

  • Jones Lang LaSalle Ltd v Soft Technology JR Ltd [2022] NZCA 353; [2021] NZHC 2538 and [2021] NZHC 351

    Acted for an agent claiming commission owing on a substantial lease to a party it introduced to the client; enforceability of agent’s commission under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008

  • Intellihub Ltd v Genesis Energy Ltd [2020] NZCA 344 and [2020] NZHC 807

    Acted for Vector in successfully defending an application for an interim injunction to restrain Genesis and Vector from decommissioning approximately 45,000 Intellihub electricity meters

  • Houghton v Saunders [2019] NZCA 506 and (2019) NZCA 404

    Acted for directors in the Feltex IPO class action on appeals concerning whether their affirmative defences under s 63 of the Securities Act 1978 should be permitted to go to trial and on the admissibility of the plaintiff's expert evidence as to loss

  • Hojsgaard v Chief Executive of Land Information New Zealand [2019] NZCA 84

    Acted for a cadastral surveyor resisting an appeal against the dismissal of allegations that he had breached professional standards in surveying of a block of Maori land

  • Myall v Tower Insurance Ltd [2017] NZCA 561 (leave to appeal to Supreme Court refused)

    Acted for an insurer in an appeal concerning the nature and extent of its obligation to pay full replacement value for a heritage property destroyed in the Canterbury earthquakes

  • Green v Green [2016] NZCA 486; [2017] NZLR 321

    Acted for a beneficiary of high value family trusts in proceedings to remove trustees that raised complex issues of capacity and undue influence in the context of trusts and testamentary dispositions

  • Tower Insurance Ltd v Domenico Trustee Ltd [2015] NZCA 372; [2015] NZHC 981

    Acted for an insurer in an appeal concerning the insurer’s right to elect to settle a claim by reinstatement or by payment and the obligation of the High Court to decide cases in accordance with the pleadings

  • Hotchin v NZGT & Perpetual Trust Ltd [2014] 3 NZLR 685 (CA); [2014] 3 NZLR 655 (HC)

    Acting for a corporate trustee in defending a third party claim by a finance company director for contribution to his alleged liabilities to investors

  • Law v TAN Corporate Trustee Ltd [2013] 1 NZLR 651

    Acted for the owners of residential apartments in a damaged multi-storey unit title development in an appeal concerning the apportionment of repair costs among all unit owners

  • i-Health Ltd v iSoft NZ Ltd [2012] 1 NZLR 379

    Acted for the vendor of a healthcare information software business in an appeal concerning the scope of a clause limiting the liability of the purchaser of the business for breach of an all reasonable endeavours obligation supporting the purchaser’s earn-out of the purchase price

  • ANZ National Bank Ltd v Tower Insurance Ltd [2010] NZCA 267

    Acting for an insurer in a contractual dispute with a major bank over the ownership of bank-branded insurance policies following termination of the agency relationship

  • Lawyers for Climate Action NZ Inc v Minister of Climate Change [2023] NZHC 1835

    Acted for Lawyers for Climate Action NZ in its successful judicial review claim in relation to the 2022 annual update to the volume and price settings for the New Zealand emissions trading scheme

  • LMCHB Ltd v Buller Coal Ltd & Anor [2023] NZHC 633

    Acted for the creditor, LMCHB, in this US$40m guarantee claim

  • Whyte v The A2 Milk Company Limited [2023] NZHC 22

    Acted for The A2 Milk Company Limited in applying to have a proposed class action in New Zealand stayed under the Trans-Tasman Proceedings Act 2010 on the basis that an open class action pending before the Supreme Court of Victoria was the more appropriate forum for determining the matters in issue

  • Body Corporate 91535 v 3A Composites GmbH [2022] NZHC 2355

    Acting for a distributor defending a proposed class action brought by owners of buildings fitted with aluminium composite panels

  • Taylor v Inder [2022] NZHC 73

    Acted for the trustees of the Marlborough Electric Power Trust in proceedings testing the scope of beneficiaries’ rights to information under the Trusts Act 2019; injunction retraining use of confidential information

  • Roe v University of Auckland [2021] NZHC 368

    Acted for the University of Auckland in defending an application for judicial review of a decision declining an application to be enrolled in the MBChB programme

  • CBL Insurance Ltd (in liq) & Ors v Harris & Ors [2021] NZHC 1393

    Acted for PwC in a successful application to strike out a $278m claim brought in breach of the liability cap in PwC’s standard terms of business. The judgment also struck out claims against a partner and employee of PwC brought in breach of an agreement not to sue partners and employees of the firm

  • Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Incorporated & The Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand Incorporated v New Zealand Conservation Authority & Director-General of Conservation [2021] NZHC 1194

    Acting for the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Incorporated and the Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand Incorporated in successfully challenging provisions of the Paparoa National Park Management Plan allowing recreational aircraft landings

  • Mathieson v TOWER Insurance Ltd [2020] NZHC 136

    Acting for an insurer on a question of law referred from the Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal as to the interpretation of an insurance policy and the application of the indemnity principle

  • Inicio Limited v TOWER Insurance Ltd [2020] NZHC 90

    Acting for an insurer in applying to dismiss an insurance claim under the Limitation Act 2010

  • Focus Construction Interiors Ltd v Spaceworks Design Group Ltd [2019] NZHC 2211

    Acted for a commercial design business defending allegations at trial that it had breached an obligation to make reasonable endeavours to refer to work to the plaintiff construction firm

  • Houghton v Saunders [2019] NZHC 2007, [2019] NZHC 1062 and [2019] NZHC 1061

    Acted for directors in the Feltex IPO class action in numerous pre-trial applications concerning whether their affirmative defences should be permitted to go to trial, the admissibility of the plaintiff’s quantum evidence, security for costs and other matters

  • Hojsgaard v Chief Executive of Land Information New Zealand [2018] NZHC 750

    Acted for a cadastral surveyor at trial on technically-complex claims for declarations alleging defects in a cadastral survey of a block of Maori land in the Hokianga

  • Kilduff & Anor v Tower Insurance Ltd [2018] NZHC 704

    Acted for an insurer in defending at trial a claim for earthquake damage to a residential property in Canterbury

  • Sadat v Tower Insurance Ltd [2017] NZHC 1550

    Acted for an insurer defending claims at trial brought by a customer alleging that a residential property had been damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes

  • Financial Markets Authority v Warminger [2017] NZHC 327 and [2017] NZHC 1471

    Defended a fund manager in a high profile and market leading proceeding brought by the Financial Markets Authority alleging market manipulation

  • Shields v Hayward & Anor [2017] NZHC 261

    Defended a law firm at trial against claims arising out of the preparation of a will and trust deed for an elderly client

  • Cygnet Farms Limited v ANZ Bank New Zealand Limited [2017] 2 NZLR 538 (HC)

    Defended a major bank against substantial civil claims at trial arising from the sale of interest rate swaps

  • Antons Trawling Ltd v Dawson & Associates Ltd [2016] NZHC 982

    Acted for a maritime lawyer defending claims at trial arising from the sale of a fishing trawler to a Russian buyer

  • Young v Tower Insurance Ltd [2016] NZHC 2956; [2018] 2 NZLR 291

    Acted for an insurer defending claims at trial relating to the scope and cost of reinstatement work to a property damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes and the scope of the insurer’s duty of good faith

  • Torchlight Fund No 1 LP (in receivership) v Johnstone [2015] NZHC 2559

    Acted for a borrower in a proceeding concerning whether a late payment fee under a loan agreement was an unenforceable penalty

  • Auckland Regional Rescue Helicopter Trust v Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Board [2014] NZHC 647

    Acted for the Rescue Helicopter Trust in a judicial review challenging the Funding Board’s decision to reduce its annual grant

  • InterCity Group (NZ) Ltd v Nakedbus NZ Ltd [2014] 3 NZLR 177 (HC)

    Acted for Nakedbus in a trade mark dispute over advertising using Google AdWords

  • Perpetual Trust Ltd v Capital + Merchant Finance Ltd (in rec and in liq) [2013] NZHC 2320

    Acted for a corporate trustee seeking the appointment of the Public Trust as the replacement trustee to a failed finance company

  • O’Loughlin v Tower Insurance Ltd [2013] 3 NZLR 275

    Acted for an insurer in a test case concerning whether a house within the residential ‘red zone’ in Christchurch was a constructive total loss as a result of the Government’s decision to offer to purchase all insured properties within the zone

  • Edenz Colleges Ltd v Chief Executive of MBIE [2012] NZHC 3452

    Acted for a private training establishment in a judicial review challenging a decision by Immigration New Zealand and NZQA on the grounds that they had breached its rights to natural justice

  • SEA Management Singapore Pte Ltd v Professional Service Brokers Ltd (2012)

    Acted for shareholders opposing an application to liquidate a substantial holding company on the basis that the shareholder-appointed directors were deadlocked

  • National Finance 2000 Ltd (in rec and in liq) v William Buck New Zealand Ltd (2011)

    Acted for the corporate trustee of a finance company’s publicly-issued debt securities in a proceeding concerning duties allegedly owned by the trustee to the issuer of the securities

  • DNZ Property Fund Management Ltd v Argosy Property Management Ltd (2011)

    Acted for the manager of a substantial property trust in opposing an application for injunction brought by an organization opposed to proposals to internalize the trust’s management function

  • Russell v Robinson [2011] 2 NZLR 424

    Acted for the owner of a commercial building in relation to claims concerning whether a fire had rendered the premises untenantable resulting in termination of a lease

  • Radisich v Templeton [2009] 3 NZLR 276

    Acted for a barrister applying to strike out a claim that he owned a duty of care to his client’s adversary

  • Falun Dafa Association of New Zealand Inc v Auckland Children’s Christmas Parade Trust [2009] NZAR 122; (2008) 8 HRNZ 680

    Acted for the organisers of the Auckland Christmas Parade in a judicial review concerning whether they were required to allow a particular group to participate in the parade