Tom Hunt

Tom is a Russell McVeagh Board member and corporate finance and debt capital markets lawyer, with particular expertise in infrastructure and project finance. He has acted on some of New Zealand’s largest and most complex corporate finance, infrastructure and debt capital markets transactions.

Tom also has extensive experience advising his client base of banks, corporates and other financial market participants on all aspects of financial services regulation. He is a leading expert on the regulation of innovative fintech products and also has particular expertise in relation to financial adviser legislation and all aspects of the prudential regulation of banks and insurers.

Tom has over 15 years of experience gained in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom advising major banks, corporates, government agencies and insurance companies. His recent experience includes:

• Acting for Spark on its Sustainability-Linked Bond – the first in the New Zealand market.
• Acting for Spark on a refinancing to establish three Sustainability Linked Loans (SLL) totalling $425m. 
• Acting for NZ Post on their $20 million financing agreement to accelerate the transition of the NZ Post fleet.
• Acting for the financiers on various PPP transactions and social housing projects, including Transmission Gully and Waikeria Prison.
• Acting for WEL Networks on the $854 million sale of Ultrafast Fibre.
• Acting for Spark New Zealand as majority shareholder on the Southern Cross Next Cable.
• Acting for a financier to the Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme.
• Acting for Callaghan Innovation on the establishment and delivery of the R&D Loan Scheme (a COVID-19 response funding programme).
• Acting for a blue chip technology company on the regulatory issues arising from a blockchain currency transfer solution.
• Acting for WEL Networks Limited, Meridian Energy, Spark New Zealand and Waste Management NZ on corporate finance facilities.

LLB, Victoria University of Wellington.

Tom began his career with Russell McVeagh in 2005 and returned to the firm in 2012 after working for three years as an Associate in the debt capital markets team at Maples and Calder in London.

Tom is recognised by Best Lawyers® 2024 New Zealand guide for Banking and Finance Law, Capital Markets Law and Derivatives and ranked by Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific 2024 Guide for Banking and Finance. He is co-author of the New Zealand chapter in The Insurance and Reinsurance Law Review - Edition 8, The 7th Edition of the Legal500 TMT Country Comparative Guide 2023 and the New Zealand chapter within The Law Review's Virtual Currency Regulation Review (editions 1, 2, 3 and 5).