Neil is a corporate and commercial partner focusing on competition, regulatory and antitrust law.
Neil has extensive experience engaging with regulators on matters such as merger proposals, formal investigations of alleged anti-competitive conduct, and industry-specific regulatory issues.
He has worked right across the New Zealand economy, most notably in telecommunications, oil & gas (both upstream and downstream), post, and electricity. He also advises a number of primary sector clients, including in the meat and fishing industries. Neil is recognised as a Band 1 lawyer in Chambers Asia Pacific 2019, and as a leading individual by Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2018.
Recent experience
Neil has advised:
- various parties in securing Commerce Commission clearance for M&A transactions, including:
- Z Energy on its acquisition of Chevron New Zealand’s downstream business (including its Caltex service station network)
- global online travel company Expedia Inc on its acquisition of Australian travel agency Wotif
- Vector on its acquisition of Arc Innovations, Meridian Energy's smart metering business, and on its acquisition of the gas metering business of Contact Energy
- Boral on its global joint venture with USG Corporation
- BlueScope Steel (NZ) on its acquisition of the assets of Pacific Steel Group’s steel production business from Fletcher Steel
- Universal music on its global acquisition of EMI’s recorded music business
- various domestic and international parties on cartel enforcement matters, including Commerce Commission investigations and participation in the Commission’s leniency policy, and
- a variety of clients on their everyday competition law issues including Holcim New Zealand, New Zealand Post, TVNZ, Shell, Chorus, Paymark, Wellington International Airport and Z Energy.
