Our work

Auckland Integrated Fares System Smartcard Project
Advised the Auckland Regional Transport Authority and New Zealand Transport Agency on the project to deliver Auckland and New Zealand's first integrated ticketing system for all modes of public transport. Bell Gully advised on all aspects of the project, including procurement and drafting and negotiating contracts. A $47million 12-year project agreement was signed with a consortium in December 2009 and plans are underway for parts of the Auckland system to be used in a national integrated ticketing approach.

Redevelopment of the Auckland waterfront
Advised Waterfront Auckland (Auckland Waterfront Development Agency Limited), a council-controlled organisation of Auckland Council, on the redevelopment of Auckland's waterfront. The project involves the redevelopment of over 45 hectares of Auckland prime waterfront area, including Queens Wharf.

Central North Island geothermal projects
Advised Tauhara North No. 2 Trust as the owner of the Rotokawa geothermal field and development right holder of the Nga Tamariki geothermal field in the Central North Island in the commercialisation of these fields, including the joint venture for the construction of the 140MW Nga Awa Purua geothermal power station. Nga Awa Purua is the largest geothermal power station built in the world in the past decade and features the world’s largest single-shaft geothermal turbine. The development is regarded as a role-model project for Maori land owners of geothermal resources and aims to develop the resource while protecting the Trust's guardianship of the land and resource. It was named Project of the Year at the prestigious Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards.

Meridian Energy Limited
Bell Gully is providing legal and strategic advice on obtaining resource consent for two major proposed electricity generation projects. The first project involves 176 wind turbines, each up to 160m in height. It will have a maximum output of 630Mw and will generate sufficient electricity to power up to 263,000 homes. It is the largest electricity generation project to be advanced under the Resource Management Act 1991 to date, and has attracted the first "whole of government" submission under that Act. The second is a contentious proposed electricity generation project located in New Zealand's capital city. The project involves 61 wind turbines, each up to 112m in height. The project will have a maximum output of 142.3Mw, and is expected to be one of the best performing wind energy installations in the world. Consents were successfully secured through the Environment Court. High Court proceedings were also involved. Construction is underway.

CentrePort Harbour Quays development
We are advising on RMA issues associated with CentrePort's Harbour Quays development, Wellington, including judicial review proceedings over a decision not to publicly notify an application for consent for the new Bank of New Zealand building and related plan changes.

Kupe Gas Field development
Bell Gully is New Zealand counsel to Origin Energy Resources (Kupe) Limited, operator of the Kupe oil and gas development. Bell Gully advises on many aspects of the development, including property and resource management issues.

Contact Energy Generation Developments
Bell Gully is advising Contact Energy in relation to various projects comprising Contact's electricity generation expansion programme. Of particular note, its geothermal developments and its gas fired "peaker" project in Taranaki.

Britomart Precinct
Bell Gully acts for Cooper and Company, the developer of Auckland's Britomart Precinct. This highly complex development is the largest historic restoration project to be undertaken in New Zealand and involved both the restoration of existing buildings and the development of new structures on Auckland's waterfront.

Powerco
Bell Gully advised Powerco on an alliance agreement with the partners in the Te Rere Hau wind farm in relation to a transmission link for the wind farm. The Te Rere Hau joint venture comprises NZ Windfarms, NP Power and Babcock & Brown Windpower. This high-profile and uncommon type of contract covers the design, development, construction, and ownership of windfarms to connect to the National Grid.

Tainui Group Holdings
We advised Tainui Group on the development of Hamilton's largest retail outlet "The Base", which was constructed on a former air force base. The development involved significant resource management issues and court challenges from rival retail groups, which were successfully resolved.

Siemens (NZ) Limited smart metering joint venture
Bell Gully advised Siemens (NZ) Limited on the establishment of a joint venture with Vector Limited, New Zealand's leading owner and manager of network infrastructures, to deliver advanced smart metering technology and operational services to customers throughout New Zealand.

ANZ National Bank - project financing Synlait Limited
Bell Gully advised ANZ National Bank on the limited recourse funding for construction of a milk processing plant by Synlait Limited.

Auckland regional transport project
We advised Auckland Regional Transport Authority on all aspects of the $NZ1 billion plus Auckland rail project, including infrastructure upgrades to the Western rail line involving the Crown, ONTRACK, the Auckland Regional Transport Network Limited and Veolia Transport Auckland. We also advised on the procurement of the new operator and rolling stock and rail network and station access arrangements (including pricing structures) and bus and ferry public transport procurement. Our team also advised Auckland Regional Transport Network Limited on its management and commissioning arrangements for the Britomart transport centre and the acquisition of Auckland's ferry terminals.

Te Puia (New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute)
We advised Te Puia on its development of a new cultural and visitor centre in Rotorua. The construction contract, based on NZS3910 conditions, is being completed in stages and involved detailed consultation with the contractor and liaising with a number of key stakeholders and interested parties. The public nature and funding made it imperative that the risks identified in this complex project were effectively managed or allocated in the contract documentation.

Sylvia Park Business Centre
Bell Gully advised on the project documentation for development of a new shopping centre on 24 hectares of land in Auckland. Bell Gully continues to advise in relation to the establishment of commercial office space at Sylvia Park. The development is the largest shopping centre in New Zealand, comprising retail and entertainment uses of 72,000 sq.m and 45,000 sq.m of office accommodation.

Corporate headquarters
We are acting for the developers of the new Meridian Energy headquarters under construction on Wellington's waterfront. The project and its documentation incorporates extensive requirements for sustainability and energy efficiency.

Bank of New Zealand
Bell Gully acts for Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) on the development of its new central Auckland Headquarters. This project involved the retention and restoration of the Jean Batten Building, a heritage building registered in the New Zealand Historic Places Trust Register. We represented BNZ in the Environment Court declaration and High Court proceedings to confirm their rights in relation to the development and also in the development and leasing documentation required for the project.

Restoration projects
Bell Gully acted on two of Wellington's significant restoration projects. We acted for the developer, Ipoh, in the construction of the former Bank of New Zealand building. The historic building underwent extensive earthquake strengthening and restoration and is a major retail centre. We also acted for the developers of the Mobil on the Park building which saw the site's historic façade retained during the construction of a new high-rise building.

Botany Town Centre
We acted for AMP on its flagship Botany Town Centre shopping centre development. The work included site acquisition, due diligence, large format retail leasing and construction contracts.

Princes Wharf
We acted for the lenders throughout the staged development of Princes Wharf, Auckland. This involved review and input into ownership structure and funding, as well as consultant and construction contracts, and extensive property review (titles, leases, consents, tenancies, easements, service and management contracts, etc). We also acted for St Laurence Group Limited on the syndication of Princes Wharf, involving two public issues of debt bonds and a public issue of special partnership units for NZ$66 million.

Auckland Hospital development
Our team advised on the development and construction of the new main hospital building at Auckland Hospital and associated building projects such as the laboratories, carparking buildings and other ancillary buildings. We also advised on the renovation and refurbishment works at the Greenlane campus to cater for its change of focus in this high profile multi-million dollar public sector project.