Hesketh Henry

Hesketh Henry has served domestic and international clients since 1865. We are based in Auckland, the commercial capital of New Zealand.

With 18 partners and 35 other legal professionals, the firm has the scale and depth to handle significant and complex matters.

Hesketh Henry is focused on being specialists in the fields of construction, insurance, property, insolvency, trade & transport, employment, forestry, health & safety, private wealth, regulatory, foreign investment, M&A and corporate and commercial advice.

Hesketh Henry’s memberships and international associations include:

• Many of our lawyers have international experience and are connected to international law firms and organisations. The firm is a member of ADVOC, a leading network of independent law firms in more than 70 countries worldwide. Partner Erich Bachmann is a global board member.
• The firm is also a member of the Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA), an alliance of lawyers with expertise and experience in advertising, marketing and promotion law representing more than 80 countries throughout the world. Julika Wahlmann-Smith will take up the role of Vice President of the Asia Pacific Region for GALA commencing 1 January 2023.
• The firm is committed to international business through its support of a number of business groups. These include:
  • The German-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, the largest bilateral European Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand. Partner Erich Bachmann is the immediate past-President and a current board member of the organisation. He is also Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in Auckland and was awarded the Order of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande) of Germany in September 2018.
  • The New Zealand Middle East Business Council. Simon Cartwright is a board member of the Council and currently its Treasurer,
  • The ASEAN Business Council of New Zealand, a business council connecting New Zealand businesses with ASEAN trading partners. The point of contact for the ASEAN Business Council is Ben Hickson, Senior Associate who re-joined Hesketh Henry in 2021, having spent 7 years working as a corporate lawyer in South East Asia for international law firms. Ben is experienced in working in emerging markets and on cross border transactions.
  • The NZ Fiji Business Council, a membership organization which fosters links between businesses in Fiji and New Zealand..
  • The British New Zealand Business Association.
  • The American Chamber of Commerce NZ.

The firm acts for a variety of international clients in relation to their investment and business activities in New Zealand. Examples include:

• Hesketh Henry’s corporate team has recently advised international counsel Stephenson Harwood (Singapore) Alliance with respect to New Zealand law aspects of BW Group’s large-scale acquisition of 100% of Hawaiki Submarine Cable and International Connectivity Services (Hawaiki). The transaction closed in 2022. The Hawaiki Submarine Cable is the largest and fastest cross-sectional fibre optic cable between the United States and Oceania (which links 15,000 km between landing stations in Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa, the Pacific Islands, Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States).
• Hesketh Henry’s corporate team worked closely with German law firm CMS Hasche Sigle on the sale of the shares in German company Neuseelandhaus GmbH to New Zealand/Malaysian owned Manuka Health New Zealand Limited.
• The firm also acted for Germany’s largest testing organisation in the automotive sector in the acquisition of a majority stake in New Zealand’s leading automotive testing service provider.
• Advising a German company and its New Zealand subsidiaries in relation to the acquisition of several businesses providing access solutions for commercial, public and residential properties.
• Acting for Amalgamated Telecom Holdings Limited (ATH) in relation to its listing on the South Pacific Stock Exchange (Fiji), the subsequent deregulation of the telecommunications sector in Fiji facilitated by World Bank appointed legal mediators and the Government of the Republic of the Fiji Islands, and the acquisition of the shares held by Cable & Wireless (UK) in FINTEL Limited.
• Advising a New Zealand entity on its merger with the infrastructure arm of a large Fijian entity (holding diversified interests across the Pacific Islands).
• Advising and preparing tender documents for Hyundai – Rotem in relation to subcontracting the maintenance service of Wellington’s railroad.
• Assisting a Korean investor on the development of a major film studio in Auckland in conjunction with ATEED (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development) which is now attracting multiple Hollywood film makers.
• Advising China Animal Husbandry Group (a Chinese state-owned enterprise) in relation to the partial disposal of its interest in dairy nutrition processing company Mataura Valley Milk Limited to dual
  ASX/NZX listed company A2 Milk.
• Advising the New Zealand subsidiary of Tokyo Stock Exchange listed company Wood One Co., Ltd in relation to its extensive forestry and timber processing operations in New Zealand including Overseas Investment Office regulatory consents.
• Advising the shareholders of Soft Tech (NZ) Limited in relation to the sale of their shares in the company to Norwegian company Compusoft AS which is part of Compusoft Group (owned by leading globally private equity firm).
• Working with several other corporate clients from Australia, the United States of America and the United Kingdom in relation to their commercial activities in New Zealand.