From buying your first home to large-scale developments, our property law experts handle every stage with precision and practicality – giving you clear, strategic advice to protect your investment and keep your project moving forward.
Residential Property
Buying or selling a home is one of life’s most significant decisions, and for developers and builders, is a core part of their business. Our residential property specialists provide practical, trustworthy advice at every step – whether you’re buying or building your first home, trading up, buying an investment property or are looking to develop or build new homes to add to New Zealand’s housing supply. We’ve learned from several decades of experience that our clients want to feel involved in the process and know that their interests are protected every step of the way.
Over the years we’ve handled thousands of residential property transactions – from first homes to $10 million-plus properties across New Zealand. Our team regularly advises on cross-lease and unit title properties, off-the-plan purchases, and helps clients with mortgage finance and KiwiSaver withdrawals.
Working with several of New Zealand’s leading group home builders and property developers means we have developed a team of specialists with deep expertise in building contracts, house and land packages and off-the-plan sales for sections, new builds, townhouses and apartments nationwide.
Commercial & Industrial Property
Our commercial and industrial property experts have vast experience and have acted on some of New Zealand’s biggest property deals, giving clients confidence in every project. From buying and selling industrial, retail and commercial properties to leasing and new developments, we provide strategic advice and pragmatic solutions that are tailored to your specific goals and requirements.
We work with some of New Zealand’s largest and most successful property syndicators, who have invested in or developed hundreds of millions of dollars in commercial, retail, and industrial real estate. From initial due diligence to setting up funds or investment vehicles, arranging finance, and settling deals, we guide our clients at every step.
We’ve acted for clients buying, selling, and leasing everything from hotels and holiday parks to large-format retail, supermarkets, postal and courier depots, aged care and healthcare facilities, offices, factories – and pretty much everything in between.
Agricultural & Horticultural
Farm and orchard transactions require specialist knowledge, careful planning and collaborative expertise. Our team has been trusted by rural Bay of Plenty clients for generations. We will guide you through buying, selling, financing, leasing and structuring rural property transactions, while navigating the complex business and family considerations that are often involved in these matters.
We work with some of the largest and most well-known farmers and orchardists in the Bay of Plenty and across New Zealand. Our experience spans individuals and family-owned operations through to corporate owners.
New Zealand’s largest kiwifruit portfolio transaction to date was complex in both scale and value. We supported a group of iwi-based entities, providing the legal expertise they needed to secure over 100 canopy hectares across three orchards that spanned numerous individual titles.
We advised an institutional investor on the purchase and restructuring of several large dairy farms in the Central North Island which included multiple related party transactions, complex farm asset ownership, and large tracks of leased land.
When an institutional investor looked to buy five apple orchards in the South Island, they relied on our expertise in horticulture and complex transactions. Protecting their rights to grow and supply the variety for export was just as important as the property purchase itself, and we helped them achieve a successful outcome.
Subdivisions & Developments
We provide legal expertise for projects of any scale, from two lot subdivisions and boundary adjustments through to large, multi-staged residential and commercial developments. With nationwide experience acting for leading group home builders and institutional developers, we manage all legal aspects of a subdivision from site selection and due diligence to land acquisition, financing, resource management, infrastructure funding agreements, inter-developer agreements , obtaining new titles, pre-sales and sell-downs. We ensure that every legal detail is handled efficiently so your project can progress and your investment delivers results.
We regularly handle multi-stage residential greenfield developments of 100+ lots across New Zealand. Recent projects include Hunua Views in Drury, Woolbrae at Jack’s Point, Queenstown, Kaimai Views in Omokoroa, Kennedy Ridge in Tauranga, and Maea Fields in Matamata. We provided legal support throughout the development of these master-planned subdivisions and sell-down of the new lots, ensuring the process ran smoothly from start to finish.
We have particular expertise in infill and intensive developments, including townhouse, apartment and unit title developments from 10 to 30+ units. Recent projects include the Latitude Apartments in Tauranga’s CBD and the Bask development in Mt Maunganui.
Our team is involved in commercial and industrial subdivisions across New Zealand, ranging from unit-titled industrial developments to large-lot subdivisions in sought-after commercial areas. We provide legal guidance at every stage, ensuring projects progress smoothly and meet our clients’ business objectives.
Building & Construction
Complex construction projects demand careful planning, strong contracts, and clear legal oversight. We support clients with all aspects from procurement and pre-contract negotiations through to contract management and resolving disputes. We ensure projects stay on track, risks are managed, and outcomes meet commercial objectives – whether you’re delivering residential subdivisions, apartments, industrial premises or large-scale infrastructure.
Advising Zespri on the development and construction contract for their new 8,000m² head office involved bringing together multiple parties and their advisors to ensure risks were clearly identified and appropriately allocated. An eye for detail and a collaborative project team helped deliver a successful outcome.
We advised on the development, construction and lease of a new supermarket for one of New Zealand’s largest grocery operators.
We advise on earthworks and infrastructure contracts for large-scale development projects, including residential subdivisions of 100+ lots across New Zealand. Our support ensures contracts are managed efficiently and risks are clearly addressed at every stage.
Property Syndication
Property syndication gives investors the opportunity to own a share of premium commercial, rural or industrial properties that might otherwise be out of reach. We provide expert guidance in acquiring properties, forming, structuring and managing syndicates, ensuring compliance, clarity and strong governance at every stage. With decades of experience, we make complex transactions straightforward, transparent and rewarding for all involved.
We act for two well-known and active property syndicators, and have done so since they were first established.
Retirement Villages and Aged Care
Deciding to move into, or out of, a retirement village or aged care facility can involve a lot of paperwork. We help residents and their families understand their legal rights and obligations with regards to Occupation Right Agreements, Disclosure Statements and other village documentation, as well as reviewing or updating Wills and Powers of Attorney. For those entering aged care, our team provides advice on admission agreements and applications for rest home care subsidies.
We also help retirement village operators develop, register and manage new villages, prepare easy-to-understand documentation, and handle conditional applications and settlements with incoming residents.
We act for a retirement village operator that owns five villages across the North Island, handling all aspects of compliance, settlements, and day-to-day legal matters to support their ongoing operations.
We also act for a number of smaller operators in provincial New Zealand who face very different challenges compared to larger urban operators. Our team has particular expertise with older villages on separate unit titles and in assisting operators with negotiating the buy-back of titles from vacating residents.
We advised one of New Zealand’s leading statutory supervisors of retirement villages on their appointment to oversee several new villages, including taking securities over the operator and village land to protect residents’ interests. With experience acting for residents, operators and statutory supervisors, our team has a unique ability to understand issues from all perspectives.
