Assisting national and international companies, financial sponsors, investors, and government agencies, Bell Gully regularly handles M&A transactions, capital markets, and strategic corporate matters. The team contains specialists in tax, competition, IT, IP, employment, and finance to advise on such matters as and when they arise. Dean Alderton and Angela Harford lead the team from Auckland and Wellington respectively. Anna Buchly advises on schemes of arrangement and takeovers, climate governance, and strategic partnerships, while James Gibson is a veteran transaction advisor, experienced in the TMT, energy, transport, and infrastructure industries. Glenn Joblin specialises in M&A work within the insurance sector, and Jennifer Coote supports public and private companies, sovereign wealth funds, and financial institutions.

Combining ‘excellent legal advice’ with ‘a practical, solution-focused attitude’, Chapman Tripp advises clients on all sides of corporate transactions relating to mergers, acquisitions, and disposals. Its clients include multinational corporations and private equity firms. Kelly McFadzien oversees the practice, advising on telecoms and infrastructure transactions, and she is ably supported by Rachel Dunne, a specialises in equity capital markets deals. Joshua Pringle is experienced in the life sciences and real estate industries, while Roger Wallis is a veteran advisor on public market M&A matters. Lauren Curtayne is also of note, specialising in the energy industry.

MinterEllisonRuddWatts's team assists clients in industries spanning the New Zealand market, including food and beverage, technology, manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare. The firm is experienced in public and private M&A, joint ventures, and equity capital markets. Neil Millar, who advises on matters in the healthcare, agribusiness, and automotive sectors, and John Conlan, who aids upstream and downstream energy clients on their corporate matters, jointly head up the practice. Mark Forman is well-versed in overseas investment laws. Mark Stuart is regularly instructed by corporate and private equity investors. Igor Drinkovic was promoted to partner in January 2024.

The ‘highly capable, attentive and commercial’ team at Russell McVeagh acts for clients in their financial services, private equity, government, and infrastructure matters. The firm is well-versed in capital restructuring, joint ventures, divestments, and schemes of arrangement. David Raudkivi and Cath Shirley-Brown oversee the practice containing David Hoare and Mei-Fern Johnson, an expert in investments in infrastructure, technology, transport, and energy. Dan Jones is expert in transactions concerning the financial services and property sectors. Ben Paterson focuses on private equity transactions, while Joe Windmeyer specialises joint venture and securities.

The ‘excellent’ team at Simpson Grierson maintains broad expertise in corporate matters, including inbound investments, capital markets, and commercial infrastructure projects. The firm is well-versed in public and private M&A transactions. Andrew Matthews, the firm’s practice head, advises listed companies, private equity firms, and family offices through negotiations and transactions. Don Holborow is an expert on compliance issues, while Michael Pollard is knowledgeable on takeovers, securities issuance, private equity transactions, and corporate governance. James Hawes specialises in joint ventures and venture capital. Edward Norman was promoted to partner in January 2024.

Buddle Findlay is instructed by national and international corporations, private equity funds, listed issuers, banks, public bodies, and financial institutions. The firm is well-versed across a range of sectors, with specialists in finance, IP, property, environment, resource management, employment, and regulation. The team is led by Grant Dunn, with experience in the real estate and food and beverage industries, Sarah McEwan, a technology and telecoms expert, and Mark Odlin, based in Christchurch. Nick Bragg advises shareholders and directors on major transactions, while Benjamin Sutton left the firm in October 2024.

Spread between Auckland and Wellington, the team at Dentons New Zealand is expert in cross-border matters, with experience advising on the approval requirements under the New Zealand Overseas Investment Act. The team contains specialists in technology, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, logistics, and mining sectors. Overseeing the team, Chris Parke assists clients with joint ventures, equity issues, and share subscriptions. David Shillson specialises in corporate transactions, from debt and equity investments to restructurings. ‘A stand-out performer’, Wook Jin Lee advises listed issues, fund managers, and private businesses on corporate governance and capital raising. In January 2024, Keegan Toft was promoted to partner.

Well-versed in mid-market and high-end M&A transactions, DLA Piper New Zealand advises blue-chip clients in transactions spanning an array of industries. The firm specialises in renewables, TMT, consumer goods, life sciences, and primary sector matters. It is also able to leverage its international footing to assist with foreign investments. Rachel Taylor leads from Wellington, advising on structurings, capital raisings, and funding. Reuben Woods and Martin Thomson work on multi-jurisdictional transactions and inward investments respectively. Martin Wiseman specialises in advising annuity clients, while Aoife O’Gorman is qualified in both Ireland and New Zealand, with further experience practising in the UK. Pavanie Edirisuriya was promoted to partner in July 2023.

‘An excellent firm’, Harmos Horton Lusk Limited specifically specialises in corporate matters. The firm advises on public and private M&A, equity capital market transaction, governance issues, and foreign investment compliance. Andrew Harmos and Nathanael Starrenburg, ‘a very smart and understated individual’, specialise in public M&A transactions. The ‘technically excellent’ Tim Mitchelson is experienced in joint venture and governance arrangement support. Annie Steel is knowledgeable of the transport and logistics sector, while Emma Barnett practises in the corporate and capital markets sectors. Jason Maddox is another noted member of the team.

Webb Henderson‘s practice contains a ‘great team of experienced people’ advising across a variety of corporate and M&A mandates. Its clients include private equity funds, telecoms companies, superannuation funds, property companies, and asset managers from across the globe. The team is led by Garth Sinclair, who advises on divestments and joint ventures, and Graeme Quigley, an advisor to superannuation funds and asset managers. Michael Gartshore specialises in private equity transactions, while Henry Willis focuses on securities offerings, takeovers, and corporate governance.

Anderson Lloyd maintains broad expertise in M&A transactions, advising clients spanning from private equity firms and institutional investors, to international corporates and business owners. The firm is also well-versed in corporate matters relating to infrastructure and projects matters, including in renewable energy. The practice head, Chris Bargery, regularly advises private equity funds on their corporate and investment matters. Bede Maher specialises in advising on foreign direct investment, Anne McLeod is an expert in the hotel sector, and Josh Williams adds expertise in climate change and emissions trading schemes.

Anthony Harper supports clients across a wide range of industries, including food and beverage, agribusiness, manufacturing, technology, senior living, and logistics. The firm regularly advises on divestments, acquisitions, and investments for domestic and international clients. Chris Dann leads the team and specialises in major procurement and distribution matters. Alex Campbell is a noted automotive specialist, while Sam Wilson focuses on the food and beverage sector. Matt Smith advises on matters in the technology and electricity industries, and Jordan Wright is also noted, supporting clients with their divestments of assets. In December 2023, David Gould  and Ewe Leong Lim  departed the firm.

Seeing recent growth in instructions in the sub-sea cable and telecoms sector, Hesketh Henry advises a broad range of clients, including those within the forestry, manufacturing, agriculture, construction, IT, and healthcare sectors. The firm is adept at cross-border matters, with a specialism in supply-chain commercial agreements. Led by Kate Telford, who regularly advises on the acquisition and disposal of businesses, the team is also home to the ‘fantastic’ Erich Bachmann, an expert in matters relating to Germany. Julika Wahlmann-Smith bolsters the firm’s expertise in advising foreign investors from Germany.

With a New Zealand-wide team, Lane Neave is well-poised to assist its clients, no matter their location. The team contains specialists in investments, competition, crypto, technology, and regulatoy law able to enhance the advice provided. Head of practice, Aaron Pickett, specialises in private M&A, joint ventures, PPP, and equity investments. Andrew Comer adds business structuring, governance, and capital raising expertise to the team. Carlo Wan advises internationally listed corporates, Chinese state-owned entities, security brokerages, and consumer brands. In team news, Joshua Jones joined the practice from Chapman Tripp in January 2024.

Burton Partners is jointly led by Nick Lovegrove who is regularly instructed on corporate and commercial matters and advises NZX-listed companies on compliance and governance matters, and Hayden Smith who is particularly active in the financial services sector.

A boutique corporate law firm, Flacks & Wong advises clients on sales, capital raises, structuring, and corporate governance. A ‘dynamic and fast-paced’ team, its clientele regularly includes companies in the food and beverage industry. The ‘excellent’ Daniel Wong heads the practice, specialising in mid-market M&A, venture capital, and takeover transactions.

Providing specialist corporate and commercial advice, the Wellington-based Mallett Partners advises clients in the primary industries, including commercial property, technology, and energy sectors. The firm advises both private and public clients, with local councils, Crown-owned entities and iwi instructing the practice. Matthew Mallett, an expert in corporate re-organistations, disposals, and joint ventures, and Daniel Croft, who advises on capital raisings and restructurings, spearhead the practice. Luke Walker is noted within the team, advising major agricultural clients on their funding arrangements.

Since its formation in October 2023, Morrison Partners advises clients across the entire corporate spectrum, including funds, private businesses, and family offices. Its expertise includes litigation, overseas investments, joint ventures, distressed situations, and corporate governance. The team is led by Ben Morrison, who focuses on commercial property transactions, the primary industry, and the retail sector, and Victoria Anderson, who is experienced in matters within the horticultural, agricultural, forestry, and manufacturing sectors. Within the wider team, Viktoriya Pashorina-Nichols advises on capital raising, business structuring, joint ventures, and M&A transactions.

Able to draw on its consulting talents beyond purely legal, PwC Legal New Zealand advises on multi-jurisdictional public and private transactions, including reorganisations, share schemes, securities, and corporate transactions. The firm contains specialists in technology, health, energy, and infrastructure, meaning it is able to tailor its advice to the matter. Leading out of Christchurch, Claire Evans specialises in advising limited partnerships and investments funds, whilst Joelle Grace is noted as ‘talented, practicable, commercial lawyer’ focusing on inbound investment. The Auckland-based practice heads are Matt Keenan and Tom Logan are experts in energy and retail respectively.

Tompkins Wake advises corporates, banks, developers, institutional investors, iwi, and local government authorities across the gamut of corporate matters. The firm is experienced in the construction and property sectors in particular and is also well-versed in corporate restructuring. Mark Renner, the Hamilton-based practice head, is qualified in New York and New Zealand and advises on joint ventures and equity financing. Phil Taylor is instructed by clients in the logistics, agriculture, and technology industries. Kerri Dewe is knowledgeable of corporate structuring and securities law.

With broad expertise in corporate and M&A matters, Wynn Williams maintains a specialism in acquisitions and divestments in the waste and recycling, transport, and logistics sectors. The firm is also well-versed in matters relating to private equity and venture capital, particularly in relation to the establishment and funding of private equity and debt funds. Hayley Buckley oversees the team, acting for clients in the transport and logistics sectors.  Ash Hill advises clients on capital raising and fund formations, and Stephen Lowe specialises in securities and energy law.