Hesketh Henry > Auckland, New Zealand > Firm Profile

Client testimonials

CLIENT: Andrea O’Brien
COMPANY/FIRM: Northpower Limited
TESTIMONIAL: We have utilised the services of the Hesketh Henry Employment team for many years now and find their approach, knowledge and professional support beyond reproach. The team have a very good understanding of our culture and business and therefore we feel very comfortable with them representing us and work is always turned, which to us is very important when dealing with employment issues. Most recently they have supported us as we navigate our way through employment law and a pandemic, incredibly helpful and insightful with information and advice.

The team are all very approachable and it’s a pleasure doing work with them. We have no issue recommending Jim, Alison and team.

CLIENT: Juan (Floyd) du Plessis
COMPANY/FIRM: Corrections Association of New Zealand TESTIMONIAL: The Corrections Association of NZ have been using Hesketh Henry for their legal advice and representation for the last 12 years. Over that time, they have proven to be an invaluable resource and support for our 3,500 plus members, providing advice on a range of employment related matters, from restructures, health and safety matters, CEA negotiation advice to Employment Authority and Court cases. They have provided us with sound, professional and timely advice in a manner that is easily understood.

During the COVID-19 pandemic and mandatory vaccination orders that came as part of that, the research, work, and advice to the union from Hesketh Henry was exemplary and has enabled us to properly engage with the NZ Department of Corrections, as the employer, as well as respond to questions from our members.

CLIENT: Catherine Dixon
COMPANY/FIRM: Suncorp Group New Zealand Limited TESTIMONIAL: We have strong and trusted relationships with the HH employment team. They provide high quality advice even when we are under time pressure and the level of guidance provided is appropriate to the situation because they understand our risk appetite and the culture of our business well. This is further enabled by a regular and exceptionally helpful rhythm of engagement which provides an overview of open engagements and allows discussion on emerging workforce considerations and the legislative climate. Further value is created from HH hosting regular (free) seminars on case law and emerging trends that are open to all members of the team to attend.

CLIENT: Chris Wright
COMPANY/FIRM: Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Auckland Limited TESTIMONIAL: It is a pleasure to work with Jim, Alison and the Hesketh Henry Employment Team. What sets them apart is the legal rigour they apply to any situation along with the commercially pragmatic advice they provide. Their assistance with a range of legal issues for ourselves and our clients has been great appreciated and their informative legal webinars keep us on to date on all the important topics. Having worked with them for over 6 years I have confidence in their knowledge and judgement.

CLIENT: Marisa Bidois
COMPANY/FIRM: Restaurant Association
TESTIMONIAL: We have been working with the team at Hesketh Henry for more then 20 years, particularly the Employment Law team lead by Jim Roberts. Over this time, Jim and the team have consistently exceeded our expectations in terms the quality of advice but also the care taken with all our matters. The experience and expertise in the team is of the highest standard and quality. Over the last eighteen months we have dealt with uncharted waters in terms of challenges businesses have faced, from implementing vaccine mandates to businesses being temporarily closed due to Covid restrictions, you name it our sector has faced it. The team at Hesketh Henry have been there every step of the way to guide and support us through these unprecedented times and I could not have asked for a better team to help us navigate these times and beyond.

CLIENT: Hilary Lyons
COMPANY/FIRM: Suncorp
TESTIMONIAL: Hesketh Henry has a specialist insurance law team who provide valued legal work and support to our business. Their advice is always well considered, thorough and takes into account our commercial interests.

Notable Cases

CLIENT: Dr Andreas Hofer, CEO
COMPANY/FIRM: Zeman Bauelemente GmbH, Vienna, Austria
TESTIMONIAL: On behalf of Zeman machinery company, situated in the green heart of Austria, I have pleasure to
underline the great co-operation with Mr. Erich Bachmann, Partner of Hesketh Henry, a Law company situated in
New Zealand. In the course of our contractual negotiations with Australian and New Zealand clients, Mr. Erich
Bachmann supported us to our entire satisfaction with enormous competence and speedy reaction on our almost
daily requests. The time difference between our countries allowed us to ask questions in the late afternoon and
receive profound replies and legal statements in the morning of our next working day. A fair and well-balanced
compensation for Mr. Bachmann’s support is deemed to round up my best impression about the co-operation with
Mr. Bachmann and his team.

CLIENT: Andrea O’Brien, General Manager – People & Capability
COMPANY/FIRM: Northpower
TESTIMONIAL: We have utilised the services of the Hesketh Henry Employment team for many years now and find
their approach, knowledge and professional support beyond reproach. The team have a very good understanding
of our culture and business and therefore we feel very comfortable with them representing us and work is always
turned around quickly which we feel is important when dealing with employment issues. Most of all, the team are
all very approachable and it’s a pleasure doing work with them. We have no issue recommending Jim, Alison and
team.

CLIENT: Asra Hewitt, Assistant Chief Counsel, New Zealand
COMPANY/FIRM: AECOM
TESTIMONIAL: Hesketh Henry’s Employment Team are a valuable trusted business partner of our NZ operations.
The Hesketh Henry Employment Team provide us with commercial, pragmatic and timely employment advice
across a range of matters from the operational and transactional to the sensitive and tricky. The Hesketh Henry
Employment Team are personable, accessible and really good to deal with.

CLIENT: Stephen Diver, Managing Director
COMPANY/FIRM: SDR Ltd
TESTIMONIAL: SDR is a boutique M&A advisory company dealing in cross-border transactions, typically between
Europe and Asia-Pacific.Hesketh Henry has been engaged on numerous occasions in SDR facilitated transactions
between Germany and New Zealand. The breadth of legal experience and lateral, deal-driven thinking at Hesketh
Henry underpins our preference for this firm. Key European clients such as Assa Abloy, Electrolux, Wuerth,
Dometic and Dekra have been impressed by Mr Erich Bachmann and his team in their swift professional advice –
complete fluency in German has undoubtedly been most useful.

CLIENT: Chris Wright, Head of HR
COMPANY/FIRM: bakertilly Staples Rodway
TESTIMONIAL: We get advice from Jim and Alison and their team for technical advice around a range of employment
matters primarily to assist our clients. We enjoy an excellent relationship with them and always find their advice to be
pragmatic, commercially astute and thorough.

CLIENT: Alan Whitley, President
COMPANY/FIRM: Corrections Association of NZ
TESTIMONIAL: Hesketh and Henry have been providing legal advice and representation to CANZ for over ten years, the
quality of the advice is first class and it is delivered in a way that is easy for us to understand.
Jim Robert’s is the partner that we deal with and we have found him to be very proficient and quick to respond, he and
his associates have a lot of knowledge around the issues we represent fir our members as well as the challenges we face
dealing with NZ’s largest government department.
We are very happy with the services provided by Hesketh Henry and we would happily recommend them as a very
credible and responsive law firm.

CLIENT: Justin Storm, Group Risk Manager
COMPANY/FIRM: Naylor Love
TESTIMONIAL: Hesketh Henry played an important role in resolving the contract issues that we faced. We were guided
through the process expertly and reached a settlement that maintained the parties existing relationship.

CLIENT: Sophie Ball, General Counsel
COMPANY/FIRM: softtech
TESTIMONIAL: We could not have been happier with Kate’s services – she is intelligent, competent and so pleasant to
deal with. She is highly responsive and she assisted to make our transaction smooth and enjoyable. We really appreciated
her efficiency – she did not overwork our file but equally, we felt as though she was always up to speed, even when her
team was dealing with the day to day detail. We would not hesitate in recommending Kate or the great team she has
around her at Hesketh Henry and we look forward to engaging her services again in the future.

CLIENT: Paul Broome, Commercial Manager NZ & P
COMPANY/FIRM: McConnell Dowell
TESTIMONIAL: Hesketh Henry always provide us with timely pertinent advice and assistance. Their specialist knowledge
and understanding of the construction industry is excellent and is particularly appreciated.

CLIENT: Andrew Hickey, Chief Executive Officer
COMPANY/FIRM: Intermed
TESTIMONIAL: The team at Hesketh Henry are great to work with, they provide excellent advice, doing so in an extremely
business friendly way. We work closely with the commercial and the employment teams, and both teams feel like they
are part of our extended team. They guide us through the legal issues, won’t let us fall into traps, but their goal is
ensuring that we get the business outcome we are after. Their advice is practical, meaningful, and commercial. Over the
10 years we have worked together, we have built a strong partnership, they are down to earth people who we trust.
Highly recommended.

International Capabilities

Hesketh Henry has served domestic and international clients since 1865. We are located in downtown 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 sector specialists in the fields of construction, insurance, property, insolvency, trade & transport, employment, health & safety, private wealth, regulatory and business advice.

Hesketh Henry’s memberships and international associations include:

• Many lawyers have international experience, and are connected to international lawfirms and organisations The firm is a member of ADVOC, a leading network of independent law firms in more than 70 countries worldwide and also 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.
• The firm is a member of the German-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, the biggest 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.
• Partner Hak Jun Lee heads Hesketh Henry’s Asian practice. Hak Jun is the honorary legal counsel for the Korean Consulate Office in Auckland New Zealand; He is the advisor for Auckland and Busan (Korea) Sister City relations; is a regional governor for IAKL (International Associations of Korean Lawyers) and is a member of both the IPBA (Inter Pacific Bar Association); and the Korean New Zealand Business Council.
• Hesketh Henry is a member of 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 rejoined Hesketh Henry in 2021, having spent 7 years working as a corporate lawyer in South East Asia for international law firms.
• Partner Simon Cartwright is a transport and trade law specialist, with expertise in international shipping, marine insurance, logistics, commodities trading, trade finance and International debt recovery. He acts for domestic and international shipowners, operators, exporters and importers, logistics companies, P & I Clubs, marine underwriters and commodities traders.
• The firm is a member of the NZ Fiji Business Council, a membership organization which fosters links between businesses in Fiji and New Zealand. The point of contact for the NZ Fiji Business Council is Senior Associate Ben
  Hickson, who is experienced in working in emerging markets and on cross border transactions.
• The firm is also a member of the British New Zealand Business Association and AmCham NZ.

Hesketh Henry joint operations or “Best Friend” network include:

• Senior Associate Ben Hickson rejoined Hesketh Henry from the South East Asia Corporate & M&A team at Stephenson Harwood LLP (based in Singapore and Myanmar), and this link has led to a close working / ‘best friend’ relationship between the firms. The firms have worked together on several matters in the past 6 months and prepared joint marketing initiatives, including Ben Hickson and Erich Bachmann participating as panel speakers on
  Stephenson Harwood’s “Foreign direct investment focus” webinar series in late 2021.

Examples of previous/existing clients which demonstrate a diverse, global reach

Singapore: 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 is subject to regulatory approvals. 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 US).

Fiji: Our Fiji work conducted over the last 2 decades includes:

• Acting for Amalgamated Telecom Holdings Limited (ATH) in relation to its listing on the South Pacific Stock Exchange (Fiji) in 2001.
• Legal advisors to ATH in relation to commercial agreements between industry participants arising from the deregulation of the telecommunications sector in Fiji facilitated by World Bank appointed legal mediators and the Government of the Republic of the Fiji Islands.
• Acting for ATH and its subsidiary, Telecom Fiji Limited (TFL) in connection with the acquisition of the shares held by Cable & Wireless (UK) in FINTEL Limited
• Advising ATH and TFL in connection with corporate and regulatory matters.
• Advising a New Zealand entity on its merger with the infrastructure arm of a large Fijian entity (holding diversified interests across the Pacific Islands).

Korea: Hesketh Henry provides legal advice to a number of Korean clients who have offices in New Zealand, including

• Advising and preparing tender documents for Hyundai – Rotem in relation to subcontracting the maintenance service of Wellington’s railroad.
• Advising and acting for Kookmin Bank, the largest registered bank in Korea, for their New Zealand operations.
• 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.

People’s Republic of China: The firm’s corporate team recently advised 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.

Germany: Hesketh Henry’s corporate team worked closely with German law firm CMS Hasche Sigle on the sale of the shares in German company Neuseeland Haus 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.

Japan: The firm advised 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.

Other: 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, TA Associates).