Real estate boutique AlexanderDorrington Ltd 'offers an outstanding level of service to developers'. The group's ‘practical hands-on knowledge' spans residential and commercial transactions and developments. Denise Marsden heads up the firm’s residential property and development offering, and her 'ability to understand and frame the issue, work through options and manage the risk, priorities, and commercial outcomes is brilliant.' Jourdan Griffin is the key practitioner for commercial property law, and assists family trusts, private corporates, and national retailers with real estate matters.

Anderson Lloyd's teams operate across the jurisdiction from offices based in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown, handling a wide spectrum of real estate and construction matters. Anton Trixl heads up the firm’s construction offering, covering the full cope of project development and financing work for clients in the energy, natural resources and infrastructure sectors. The team also leverages the litigation expertise of Simon Munro and Charlotte Houghton to advise on contentious issues arising from large-scale PPP projects. Sharon Knowles leads the firm’s real estate practice, which has a solid track record in advising on infrastructure and energy-related projects, forestry sector matters and the commercial development of industrial land. Kerry O’Donnell, Mike Kerr, Robert Huse, Vanessa Robb, Dan Williams, and Clare O’Shea are practitioners to note.

Anthony Harper‘s department provides ‘pragmatic and commercially-focused advice‘ on commercial development projects. Construction expert Ed Dunphy heads the real estate practice, and has an excellent reputation for handling the full range of commercial property matters. Karen Kemp is highly regarded for her expertise in commercial construction litigation. Tim Barclay represents corporates and funds management businesses in commercial property work, and Alistair Law counts property finance and leasing matters as key strengths. The ‘very proactive and practical‘ Daniel French and the ‘excellent communicator‘ Tim Bunker are key names. Jessica Hanning was promoted to partner in January 2023.

Bell Gully‘s real estate practice provides clients with a full-service offering, advising on leases, sales, purchases, developments, and OIA approvals. The department leverages the firm’s corporate expertise in order to assist international investors in the space. Karl Anderson leads the firm’s projects and real estate team, and specialises in handling forestry transactions, while Andrew Petersen advises on overseas investments. Jane Holland and Tonie Forrest are key names for commercial property work. The firm also has a strong construction offering, with Ian Becke leading the department. Jesse Wilson, Kirsty Dobbs, and Brad Ward are all active in the construction litigation space. David Chisnall handles real estate and construction work for public and private sector clients in regional development projects.

High-profile infrastructure projects and major public sector work form the key pillar of Buddle Findlay’s practice, with transport and energy-related mandates prominent in the group's caseload. The firm has an excellent track record in advising local authorities and other government entities on significant urban renewal, transport, and renewable energy development projects. Daniel Kelleher leads the team on property work, advising local government in Auckland on urban renewal, infrastructure, and utilities matters. Charlotte von Dadelszen is the key contact in the Wellington office, assisting with all public and private sector construction and property related matters. Julia Gabrielle, a corporate lawyer with a property focus, is another key contact.

Chapman Tripp advises an established client base of private and public sector entities, including domestic and inbound investors, on major projects within the infrastructure, energy, residential, hospitality, healthcare, and forestry sectors. The firm’s real estate offering, headed by Matthew Carroll, stands out for its strength in assisting international clients with OIO consent matters, also a key area of focus for Tessa Baker. Hamish Bolland, Greg Wise, and Mark Nicholson are highly regarded for handling complex mandates involving high-profile infrastructure projects. The firm also has a dedicated construction disputes team; Bolland, Sam Holden and consultant John McKay are key practitioners in this area.

At Dentons New Zealand, Stuart Robertson heads up the construction team, and is noted for his expertise in advising on disputes in the space. Paul Buetow has substantial experience in handling infrastructure mandates concerning road, rail, water, and energy projects, and Brendan Cash represents clients in contentious work up to Supreme Court level. On the real estate side, practice head Michelle Hill represents multinational clients in commercial real estate matters from the Auckland office, and Matthew Ockleston is active in work involving acquisitions of land for public infrastructure projects. Katrina Van Houtte, Paul Holth and Ish Fraser are key names to note. Buddle Findlay departed the team to join Buddle Findlay in November 2023.

DLA Piper New Zealand leverages the global footprint of the firm’s network to assist blue chip international and domestic clients with large real estate transactions. National head of the real estate group Justin March is well known for advising global clients with a multinational reach on inbound investments and portfolio management. Mark Williamson counts construction work as a key strength; he garners praise as ‘a practical, pragmatic practitioner who offers solutions and is easy to deal with‘. Emma Moran is well versed in handling contentious construction matters. Heath Brunton is noted for his ‘wealth of knowledge and attention to detail‘. Sundaresh Thangavelu and senior associate Nick Byrnes are key contacts in the group.

Auckland-based Hesketh Henry is ‘a stand out in the New Zealand market for its construction litigation practice‘, handling a wide range of complex and high-profile construction disputes. The team garners praise for being ‘practical and commercially robust‘ and ‘easy to work with‘, and is led by Nick Gillies, who ‘combines excellent technical skills with strong commercial acumen.‘ Christina Bryant is a key contact, with a solid track record in handling disputes up to Supreme Court level; Glen Holm-Hansen combines insolvency, regulatory and litigation expertise. Additionally, Gillies works alongside Helen Macfarlane to assist clients with construction and consultancy contracts. On the real estate side. Robert Berry is well known for advising on ground leases; he jointly heads the group with Brian Coburn, who acts for international high-net-worth individuals. Jacintha Tan, Barret Blaylock, and Sarah Holderness are names to note.

MinterEllisonRuddWatts' practice is home to a team praised as 'masters of the field in construction law', with a depth of expertise in advising on complex disputes and prominent infrastructure projects. Janine Stewart leads on the construction side, with 'excellent skills and experience in construction litigation'. Stephen Price and Travis Tomlinson are also key contacts for disputes work, and Tomlinson is well known for his infrastructure and energy expertise. Sarah Sinclair is eminent in the market for her track record in advising on the country's most high-profile infrastructure projects, and Mark Crosbie advises on the full lifecycle of commercial construction projects. Head of the firm's property offering, David Gilbert, handles acquisitions, developments and leasing for public and private sector clients. Andrew Monteith fields extensive experience in advising commercial and infrastructure property matters; Amanda Spratt's workload includes acquisitions and disposals, developments, forestry, insolvency, and property finance; and Holly Hill focuses on sustainability issues. Ross Pickmere has retired from practice.

Russell McVeagh advises on the full range of construction and real estate work. Sarah Blackmore specialises in advising on the sale and acquisition of forestry assets, while Ed Crook assists institutional property owners with major commercial property development mandates. Anna Crosbie and David Butler are also active in high-profile construction and property instructions. Natalie Steur and Michael Taylor are other key practitioners in the department. After the research concluded, former joint practice head Polly Pope departed to Bankside Chambers.

Simpson Grierson 'has significant experience in the construction industry and provides strategic and transactional advice' to an established client base of public sector entities, with a particular focus on major infrastructure projects. Practice head Michael Weatherall is eminent in the construction law space, with an excellent track record in advising on a number of high-profile infrastructure projects in the country. The 'pragmatic and balanced' Jo-Anne Knight has been kept busy advising on claims concerning building defects. Shanti Frater has experience in handling construction litigation. Greg Allen leads the firm's property team, working across large-scale residential and property development, forestry, and agribusiness transactions, as well as assisting with real estate-related corporate transactions. Nick Wilson 'has a strong depth of knowledge across many of the varied disciplines required in a real estate setting'. Consultant Michael Wood, Donna Hurley and Tara Wylie are key names to note.

Thompson Blackie Biddles is a real estate boutique with an excellent reputation for providing specialist advice concerning high-profile acquisitions, divestments, leasing, and developments. The client base includes offshore and domestic property entities, private companies, property funds, and high-net-worth individuals. Greg Thompson has extensive experience in transactions, strategy, and real estate investment funds, while James Blackie is noted for his work in relation to commercial property acquisitions, securitisation, development, and property finance. Joe Biddles has a solid track record in acting on some of the most high-profile real estate transactions and development projects in the market. Transaction and leasing specialist Sam Greenwood handles instructions from listed property trusts and high-net-worth private investors. Associate Tom McGarry is a name to note.

Tompkins Wake's practice provides a full range of property services throughout New Zealand. Scott Ratuki leads the commercial property department and has an excellent track record in handling large-scale commercial developments and subdivisions. Property and real estate lawyer Peter Duncan is well known for advising on local government property matters. Peter Fanning's workload includes infrastructure, agriculture, and commercial property mandates, and Rotorua-based Catriona Gordon's broad practice takes in commercial property developments and transactions. Kate Searancke and Campbell Stewart are noted for their commercial property and overseas investor expertise respectively. In April 2023 Gemma Bodle and Rotorua-based Jasmine Findlater made partner, bolstering the team with their expertise in commercial and residential property, covering leasing, transactions, and local government matters. Unless stated otherwise, all named individuals are based in the Hamilton office.