Service

Private equity

Providing sound advice on the full life cycle of private equity matters

We can help you to navigate the private equity landscape. Our lawyers have been at the forefront of private equity in New Zealand since its beginning in the early 1990s.

We are true specialists and work on the largest and most complex deals, domestically and offshore, and have been at the leading edge of structuring innovation in the New Zealand market. Our experience across the private equity space means we have a deep knowledge of how funds operate and how we can best contribute towards their success.

We have long-standing relationships with all of the major New Zealand private equity firms and also regularly act for international sponsors on investments into New Zealand businesses.

Clients choose us because of our proven track record across the full life cycle of private equity matters including:

  • investments through to divestments
  • structuring and establishment through to winding down funds.

Some of our recent notable highlights include advising:

  • on all aspects of the establishment of most of the major private equity funds in New Zealand, most recently Direct Capital on the formation of Fund V and Waterman Capital on formation of Fund IV
  • Pencarrow Private Equity on its acquisitions of MMC (financial services), Mix (personal care), BeGroup (aged care), SolarCity (energy) and Bell Tea and Coffee Company (food and beverage), and its divestments, having also acted on the original acquisitions, of Seequent (computer software), Icebreaker Holdings (consumer goods) and BrewGroup (food and beverage)
  • Waterman Capital on its acquisitions of TRG Imaging (radiology), PBT (transport), Provincial Education Group (early childhood education), My Food Bag (meal kits), and its divestments, having also acted on the original acquisitions, of ACG Education (K-12 and tertiary education), Manuka Health (nutraceuticals) and HealthLink (medical software)
  • Pacific Equity Partners portfolio company ACG Education (now UP Education) on the 2019 sale of its ACG Schools business in New Zealand, Indonesia and Vietnam, to Inspired Education Holdings 
  • Rubicon Technology Partners, a US-based private equity firm that invests exclusively in SAAS software companies, on its 2019 majority investment in Cin7, a specialist in cloud-based inventory management software and point-of-sale solutions
  • Blackstone on its deal to buy seven large central Auckland office blocks (the VXV commercial precinct) for $635m from NZX-listed business Goodman Property Trust.