MinterEllisonRuddWatts

Corporate and M&A

Partner

Mark is a market leading corporate lawyer specialising in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and private equity transactions. He is also an expert in overseas investment laws, corporate governance advice, shareholder agreements, and employee shareholding arrangements.

Mark is the lead lawyer on a number of New Zealand’s most significant deals. His expertise in complex transactions is sought after by many of New Zealand’s top investment bankers, leading private equity firms, and large local and international corporates. Mark’s blue-chip clients include Next Capital, Global Forest Partners, Brookfield Asset Management, MediaWorks, Warner Brothers Discovery, Bupa Group, Ngāi Tahu Corporation, Kinetic Transport, Synlait, Sumitomo Corporation, Waterman Capital, ANZ, Campbell Global, RMS LLC, NZ Bus, Metlifecare, and Southern Cross Hospitals Group.

Valued by clients for his strong industry knowledge and relationships, Mark applies his M&A and private equity skills across multiple sectors. He is especially renowned for his expertise in transactions in the forestry, health/aged care, transport, media, and financial services sectors.

His forestry expertise includes advising on some of New Zealand’s largest forestry transactions, including the sale of Waonui estate by Global Forest Partners to OTPP, the sale of Ngai Tahu’s West Coast forestry estate to a Fiera Comox/Ngai Tahu JV, and the $1.2bn acquisition of Nelson Forests by Campbell Global/OneFortyOne Plantations.

In the health and aged care sector, Mark has advised on a string of high profile transactions, including Metlifecare’s acquisition of a portfolio of retirement villages and aged care homes from the Selwyn Foundation, Bupa’s sale of a number of its care homes and retirement villages to Adamantem owned Heritage Lifecare, and the sale of its rehabilitation and dental businesses (to companies owned by PEP and BGH respectively). Mark also advised Southern Cross Hospitals on a number of acquisitions and joint ventures, and Rangatira on its acquisition of Boulcott Hospital from PEP.

In the media sector Mark advised MediaWorks on its acquisition of the QMS NZ outdoor advertising business, as well as the sale of TV THREE to Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD). Subsequently, Mark advised WBD on the sale of Bravo TV to NBC Universal, as well as the transfer of the THREE News programme to Stuff.

Mark advised Next Capital on its investment in NZ bus, and Waterman Capital on its exit from Fusion5, both transactions being awarded deal of the year at the NZ Private Capital awards.

Mark provides responsive, proactive, and innovative advice. He has been described by a client as “an exceptionally commercial and deal-driven lawyer who gets the balance between legal advice and deal dynamic just right”. He is also praised for his “wealth of experience in the New Zealand market and a raft of skills, both technical and commercial, which are key to the negotiation of complex transactions" – Chambers Asia-Pacific 2022. One client says: "I trust Mark completely and I know that he thinks about issues deeply” – Chambers Asia-Pacific 2020.

Mark was recognised as a NZ Deal Maker of the Year in the awarded Excellence at the Australasian Law Awards 2024 for his role leading New Zealand’s most significant transactions in that year. His expertise is also recognised by major legal directories including Chambers Asia-Pacific and Global.

Mark has international experience, having worked at CMS Cameron McKenna in London before joining the firm, and spent time working with a major financial institution in New York.

LLB, University of Canterbury

BCom, University of Canterbury