Corporate Advisory

Expertise in corporate law

Our lawyers work across specialities to deliver advice on a broad range of issues to both local and international clients, ranging from NZX 50 corporates to private equity and fund managers.

We offer an extensive range of corporate advisory services, including:

• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Equity Capital Markets
• Initial Public Offerings (IPOs)
• Private Equity
• Commercial contracts
• Joint Ventures and other commercial arrangements
• Investment in New Zealand by overseas entities
• Compliance and corporate governance
• Insolvency and debt restructuring
• Funds management
• Competition and Antitrust
• Technology
• Outsourcing

Experience

Our Corporate team is composed of highly skilled professionals with extensive experience in corporate law. Some of the recent work we've done with clients includes advising:

• QIC on its acquisition of a 50% interest in Vector's New Zealand and Australian metering business, valuing Vector metering at $2.51 billion.
• Pacific Equity Partners on its sale of Evolution Healthcare to QIC.
• Tilt Renewables on its NZ$3.24 billion takeover by way of scheme of arrangement.
• Fonterra on its sale of its China farms, which consisted of two significant offshore transactions totalling $555 million.
• Freightways on the acquisition of Big Chill, including the NZX compliance aspects of the transaction.
• WEL Networks on the sale of its 85% stake in Ultrafast Fibre Holdings as part of the NZ$854 million sale of the entire business to First State Investments.
• ANZ on the $762 million sale of its asset finance business, UDC Finance Limited, to Japan's Shinsei Bank.
• Auckland International Airport on its NZ$1.2 billion capital raise by way of an underwritten placement and share purchase plan. The capital raising was the largest secondary offering in New Zealand history.
• The underwriters of Ryman Healthcare's $902.4 million capital raise.
• The underwriters of Heartland Group Holdings' $200 million equity raise.
• Fonterra (as lead deal counsel) on the $633 million sale of its interest in DFE Pharma (a world-leading pharmaceutical company) to CVC (a leading European private equity fund).
• Pacific Equity Partners on its acquisition and subsequent sale of Manuka Health New Zealand.
• Westpac Group on the sale of its New Zealand life insurance business to Fidelity Life for NZ$400 million, including a 15-year life insurance distribution arrangement between Westpac NZ and Fidelity Life.
• Advent International on its acquisition of NZ Pharmaceuticals. 
• Trade Me on its $2.6 billion takeover by UK private equity firm Apax Partners by way of scheme of arrangement.
• The underwriting syndicate of Goldman Sachs and Forsyth Barr on Sky TV's NZ$157 million placement and accelerated renounceable entitlement offer, which necessitated an NZX waiver.
• National Australia Bank on its sale of its New Zealand life insurance business to Partners Life.
• Jarden and Craigs Investment Partners as joint lead managers on the IPO, and listing on NZX and ASX, of My Food Bag. (the largest IPO in New Zealand since 2014).
• The New Zealand Superannuation Fund on its formation of a NZ$300 million partnership with domestic property developer, Classic Group.
• Fisher Funds on purchase of Kiwi Wealth.
• Pacific Equity Partners on its sale of Patties Foods to PAG, and the sale of UP Education.
• On the sale of Trustpower's retail business to Mercury Energy.

Contact us for corporate advisory services

Ready to discuss your corporate legal needs? Contact Russell McVeagh today to speak with an experienced advisor. Our team is ready to provide the support and guidance you need to achieve your business objectives.