The Legal 500

New Zealand

Banking and finance

Banking and finance - ranked: tier 1

Mayne Wetherell

Mayne Wetherell is 'up there with the best in the market' and is known as a top performer in areas such as securitisation, structured finance, capital markets, leveraged finance and syndicated loans. The four-partner practice, which is led by acquisition financing and special situations expert Will Tipping, is on the panel of New Zealand's leading banks, including ANZ and ASB. It is also the main provider of banking and finance advice to New Zealand’s largest company, Fonterra Co-operative Group, and counts Auckland International Airport and national electricity grid operator Transpower Limited among its clients. Tipping recently acted for ASB Bank in the provision of NZ$200m in funding to NZX-listed company BIL, which entered into a sale and purchase agreement for the acquisition of TIL. Dave Wetherell recently advised Fonterrra on receivables transactions with BTMU and Westpac. Mei Nah, who focuses largely on securitisation and debt capital markets matters, assisted Eclipx Group on the restructuring of a NZ$460m auto receivables warehouse structure. Daniel Meikle is also recommended.

Leading individuals

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Corporate and M&A

Corporate and M&A - ranked: tier 2

Mayne Wetherell

Mayne Wetherell in Auckland handles high-end domestic and international M&A transactions and has particular strength in inbound investment matters for large corporates, institutional investors and private equity firms. Michael Harrod leads the four-partner practice and with key partner Michael Pritchard acted for Eclipx Group in its A$179m acquisition of Grays eCommerce by way of scrip-for-scrip scheme of arrangement. Pritchard and finance partner Will Tipping handled the acquisition of NZ RJs Licorice on behalf of purchaser Quadrant Private Equity. Also recommended are Matthew Olsen, who recently acted for a global fund in relation to its investment in several of New Zealand’s largest private dairy holdings, and Simon Horner, who handled the separation of the Watson & Son business in which Ngai Tahu acquired the honey production assets and the client acquired the functional foods and medical side of the business.

Leading individuals

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Restructuring and insolvency

Restructuring and insolvency - ranked: tier 2

Mayne Wetherell

Mayne Wetherell is best known for its strong finance practice, which includes insolvency and restructuring expertise. The firm continues to work on some of the major corporate restructurings in New Zealand, and has been a key player in almost all of the key mandates in the market since the global financial crisis. A notable matter in which it played a major role was the debt-for-equity restructuring of the MediaWorks group, in which the firm acted for both the senior creditors and the agent. Key partner Daniel Meikle recently acted for Deutsche Bank in the refinancing of MediaWorks. Banking and finance partner Will Tipping and capital markets, corporate and restructuring partner Dave Wetherell also play pivotal roles in the practice, which frequently acts for Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Sankaty Advisers, Värde Partners and Westpac in special situations investing, credit opportunities and restructuring exercises.

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