The Bell Gully team has been recognised across a range of categories at the 2023 New Zealand Law Awards, including Project Finance Deal of the Year, Debt Market Deal of the Year and Equity Market Deal of the Year.
Bell Gully chair and partner Andrew Petersen says, “this recognition highlights the depth of the firm’s expertise and the firm’s strong focus on providing pragmatic and proactive advice to our clients.”
Bell Gully’s Banking and Financial Services team has picked up two significant wins at the NZ Law Awards, with both deals being noted for their complexity:
- The Project Finance Deal of the Year was led by partner Sarah Anderson-Butler and consultant Hugh Kettle with the Bell Gully team advising Crown Infrastructure Partners on the financing of a special purpose vehicle to fund infrastructure and urban development projects in Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty. The judges noted the “complexity of navigating the application of existing funding arrangements to a new regime together with the innovation involved make this deal notable... as this was the first transaction under the IFFA, requiring the lawyers to create documentation that will no doubt be used by all others going forward."
- The team also won the Debt Market Deal of the Year, advising Igneo Infrastructure Partners on the financing of its acquisition of Waste Management NZ Ltd. The team was led by Sam Dykes, David Mcpherson and Zac Kedgley-Foot. The judges noted it was “a complex deal due to the nature of the syndicate and the breadth… a large, complex and innovative transaction that allows for ESG improvements over time.”
Bell Gully’s Corporate team also won Equity Market Deal of the Year for its work on the $2.2 billion recapitalisation of Air New Zealand. Led by Corporate partners James Gibson and Chris Goddard, this capital raising remains the largest ever underwritten rights offering in New Zealand.
We would like to congratulate all other finalists and winners, including IAG Legal Team for Financial Services In-House Team of the Year and Meridian Energy for Energy In-House Team of the Year.
The New Zealand Law Awards were held in Auckland on Thursday, 23 November.
Read more about Bell Gully's awards and recognition.