Our work

Nelson Forests Ltd.
Advised Nelson Forests Limited on its acquisition of Weyerhauser Company's 51% interest in a Nelson Forest joint venture and the remaining 49% of the joint venture from RII New Zealand Forests Inc.

Aotearoa Fisheries Ltd.
We act for Aotearoa Fisheries Ltd., the largest Maori-owned fisheries company in New Zealand, on the company’s major commercial transactions.

Carter Holt Harvey Ltd.
We advised Carter Holt Harvey, a New Zealand-based forest products company on the sale of essentially all of its forestry interests, including approximately 260,000ha of forestry estate, to US-based forestry manager Hancock Natural Resource Group Inc.

We also advised on the sales of 94,300ha of Carter Holt Harvey forest estate and related assets in New Zealand to Matariki Forests, an incorporated joint venture between Rayonier Inc and RREEF Infrastructure, the global infrastructure arm of Deutsche Asset Management.

Fish processing factory
We represented Tasman District Council in a matter involving consent renewals for a major fish processing factory and ice-cream plant discharging into a sensitive estuary. A negotiated settlement was achieved which established reasonable and acceptable limits to the satisfaction of the Council.

Rayonier
We advised on Rayonier's acquisition of a substantial forest estate from the New Zealand Government for approximately US$200 million during the privatisation of state-owned forests and on establishing various joint ventures with US institutional investors and others.

Maori fisheries
We represented Maori in the negotiation of the interim Fisheries Settlement leading to the Maori Fisheries Act 1989 and establishment of the Maori Fisheries Commission.

Fisheries litigation
We are instructed by APN, publisher of the New Zealand Herald, to act on a defamation proceeding, Simunovich Fisheries Ltd & ors v TVNZ, APN New Zealand Limited & ors. The proceeding is the largest defamation case brought in New Zealand with the plaintiffs seeking NZ$30 million in damages. The case arises out of publications relating to the operation of New Zealand's scampi fishery.

Maori Fisheries Commission
We represented the Commission in the Fisheries Settlement of 1992 and the subsequent acquisition of Sealord.

Iwi
We have successfully represented Iwi at the Privy Council on fisheries allocation issues.

Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission
We acted for the Commission in the sale of Brierley Investment Limited's 50% interest in Sealord worth NZ$200 million.

Fletcher Challenge Forests
We acted for Fletcher Challenge Forests on its rights issue of preference shares for a value of NZ$428 million. This was the most significant transaction in the forestry sector for 2001. We also advised Fletcher Challenge Forests on the competition law implications of its proposed acquisition of the assets of the Central North Island Forestry Partnership for which formal clearance was granted by the Commerce Commission.

Maori entities
We represented Maori in the negotiation of the Forestry Settlement, leading to the Crown Forest Assets Act 1989 and assisting in the establishment of the Crown Forestry Rental Trust.