Our work

LINPAC/Viscount
Acted for LINPAC/Viscount in relation to Pact Group Pty Limited’s application to acquire the plastic pails business of Viscount NZ. The Commission granted clearance.

Ultra-Fast Broadband Initiative
Advising Crown Fibre Holdings Limited, a Government owned investment vehicle, on the competition law aspects of New Zealand's ultra-fast broadband initiative.

New Zealand Winegrowers
Acted for New Zealand Winegrowers in relation to the Commerce Commission's investigation into the conduct of New Zealand Winegrowers, as the industry body, regarding grape harvest and wine production levels. The Commission concluded there was no breach.

Air New Zealand
Acted for Air New Zealand in relation to its Trans Tasman alliance with Virgin Australia. Authorisation gained from regulators, New Zealand's Ministry of Transport and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

Frucor clearance
Acted for Frucor Beverages, New Zealand's leading fruit beverage supplier (ultimately owned by Japanese company, Suntory), in obtaining Commerce Commission clearance for Frucor to acquire 100% of the Simply Squeezed business.

Stevenson Group/Fletcher Building
Acted for Stevenson Group in relation to the Commerce Commission's clearance for Fletcher Building to acquire Stevenson's Auckland and Whangarei masonry business. The Commission granted clearance after accepting the arguments advanced by Stevenson that its masonry business should be classed as a "failing firm".

Air New Zealand
Acting for Air New Zealand in High Court proceedings brought by the Commerce Commission alleging cartel conduct in the air cargo market.

Freight forwarding
Acting for a freight forwarding company on the Commerce Commission's allegations of cartel conduct in the freight forwarding industry.

Singapore Airlines Cargo
Acting for Singapore Airlines Cargo in High Court proceedings brought by the Commerce Commission alleging cartel conduct in the air cargo market.

Woolworths' takeover of the Warehouse
Bell Gully advised Woolworths in relation to its application to the Commerce Commission for clearance to acquire The Warehouse Group, its successful appeal to the High Court over the Commission's decision to decline that application and the Commission's subsequent appeal of the High Court's decision.

Commerce Commission credit card investigation
Bell Gully advised ANZ National Bank in proceedings brought by the Commerce Commission under the Commerce Act against all the major banks, Visa and Mastercard concerning price-fixing of multilateral interchange fees. A settlement was reached in October 2009.

Carter Holt Harvey's acquisition of Lakesawn Lumber
Bell Gully has advised Carter Holt Harvey in its successful application to the Commerce Commission for clearance to acquire the sawn timber business of Lakesawn Lumber Limited.

Goodman Fielder's acquisition of Rivermill Bakeries
Bell Gully has advised Goodman Fielder in its successful bid to obtain clearance from the Commerce Commission to acquire the flour and bread assets of River Mill Bakeries Limited.

Schering Plough's acquisition of Organon BioSciences
Bell Gully has advised science-based healthcare corporation Schering Plough on its successful application to the Commerce Commission for clearance to acquire 100% of Organon BioSciences, a human pharmaceutical and animal-health business.

Commerce Commission's corrugated cardboard packaging investigation
Bell Gully advised Carter Holt Harvey on issues relating to the Commerce Commission's investigation of the corrugated cardboard packaging industry.

Carter Holt Harvey's sale of its forestry business to Hancock Natural Resources Group
Bell Gully is advising Carter Holt Harvey, a New Zealand-based forest products company and also New Zealand's largest forest owner, on the sale of its forestry business comprising substantially all of its forestry interests including approximately 260,000 hectares of freehold and non-freehold forestry estate, to US-based forestry manager Hancock Natural Resource Group Inc. for in excess of NZ$1.5 billion. This was one of the biggest and most complex forestry and property sales in New Zealand's history.

Air New Zealand-Qantas Code Share Agreement
We acted for Air New Zealand on its application for authorisation of its strategic alliance proposals with Qantas for Tasman routes.

Brand divestment
We successfully assisted Pernod Ricard in an investigation by the Commerce Commission into whether or not it could retain a number of key brands acquired in its acquisition of Allied Domecq plc. The brands had previously been the subject of a divestment undertaking.

Rank Group-Fonterra asset swap
We acted for New Zealand Dairy Foods (Rank Group) on the competition law aspects of its US$1.17 billion asset swap transaction with Fonterra.

Prime Television New Zealand sale to SKY Network Television
We acted for Prime Television New Zealand on the competition law implications of its 2006 acquisition by SKY Television Network Limited for NZ$32.6 million.

Osmose
We acted for Osmose in a Commerce Commission investigation and court proceedings against a number of defendants seeking penalties under the Commerce Act. A settlement was reached and approved by the High Court in October 2006.

ANZ National Bank
We acted for the bank in a Commerce Commission Fair Trading Act prosecution against a number of credit card issuers and an associated High Court civil claim for compensation. A settlement was reached in 2006.

Vehicle Testing New Zealand
We assisted in obtaining Commerce Commission clearance for VTNZ's acquisition of the business and assets of On Road New Zealand Limited.