Tuesday 30 October 2012

The Power of Two

Case Study: Lane Neave and Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, working together for Canterbury.


When you look at some of the great moments in New Zealand history, where hardship and adversity are overcome, many of them are accomplished by people working closely together. Take for example the New Zealand men’s double skulls London Olympics gold medallists Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan. Neither would have beaten the world’s best athletes by themselves, yet together they took their place in the record books. There is something powerful about partnerships that collaborate to achieve results.

The Canterbury earthquakes have had a major impact on all the citizens and businesses of Christchurch. Every day their effects continue to be felt physically, economically and emotionally and we now have our own Olympic Games to win in terms of creating the new city, its infrastructure and supporting its people.  More resources will be required to support the recovery than Christchurch can supply on its own. The only way this is going to be achieved is through collaboration.

A great example of two businesses taking the initiative to combine their strengths, people, skills and expertise is the alliance between local law firm Lane Neave and national law firm Minter Ellison Rudd Watts. This alliance is to the obvious benefit of both the people and businesses of Christchurch by combining the capacity and the capability to meet the demands of the recovery. Rather than an “outsourcing model” giving a local firm access to a greater number of lawyers to cope with excess demand, this collaboration recognises the need for clients to have access to the best resources, wherever they happen to be located.

Lane Neave and Minter Ellison Rudd Watts realise the recovery of Christchurch is not going to be accomplished without the support and efforts of the far wider community at a national and international level. The rise of collaborations that span regions will be fundamental to success.

Lane Neave is a well established and highly respected law firm in the Christchurch and South Island business communities. As a local firm they have a real understanding of the adversity faced by the people of Christchurch. This is coupled with their deep legal expertise, knowledge and passion for the recovery, which leaves them superbly placed to help get Christchurch back up and running. With two offices in Christchurch and an office in Queenstown they are on the ground day to day, shoulder to shoulder with the people of Canterbury assisting them to navigate the complex legal issues surrounding the recovery of the region.

Minter Ellison Rudd Watts brings some extra muscle and resource to the alliance. It’s recognised as one of the top law firms in the country and has the benefit of drawing upon the vast resources of the Minter Ellison Legal Group, which have offices in Australia, Europe and Asia.  Being based in Auckland and Wellington, they are also well positioned to tap into their relationship networks within Government and the large corporates in the banking and construction sectors to assist with mobilising the recovery, adding an additional dimension and level of expertise needed to complete entire transactions.


Lane Neave and Minter Ellison Rudd Watts are already collaborating on providing information to the Canterbury business community through a series of highly successful seminars. The alliance between these two well respected firms is ultimately about harnessing the power of collaboration to deliver the best legal advice for the people of Christchurch as they transition to an exciting new city.

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Free clinics on Central City Recovery Plan - How does it apply to you?


For those CECC members looking to move back into the CBD, Wynn Williams have come up with a great intiative to help you navigate your way through the Central City Recovery Plan. They are holding regular free clinics at the CECC offices in the Westpac Hub where you are able to book a free one-on-one meeting with a resource management law expert to find out the effect of the Plan on particular land in the central city area.



The Central City Recovery Plan has made significant changes to the Christchurch City Plan, including building height limits, requirements for outline development plans, parking restrictions, provision for anchor projects, and zones in which noise limits are increased. Assessing the capability of land for proposed uses under the CCRP can be a complex task. As part of their package of initiatives for Leading Christchurch Back to the Centre, Wynn Williams is offering free, one-on-one clinics at the CECC offices in the Westpac Hub.  Their resource management law experts can take you through the CCRP provisions as they apply to particular land in the Central City area. Clinics will take place from 9:00am – 12:00noon on the following days:





Wednesday 31 October
Wednesday 14 November 
Wednesday 28 November
Wednesday 12 December




To book a free one on one meeting with a resource management law expert during a clinic, please email margo.perpick@wynnwilliams.co.nz with your name and contact phone number.

Thursday 4 October 2012

This past week has seen a flurry of activity around Christchurch’s links with Antarctica



 It is a special relationship spanning  back 100 years with Scott’s journey to the pole in 1912 departing from Lyttleton. As the Gateway to Antarctica  for New Zealand and many other countries, in particular the USA, our relationship with Antarctica is socially, spiritually and economically significant. Several years ago I had the  privilege to spend a week on the Ice. The majesty of the place is  beyond description. I was particularly struck with the poignancy of Scott’s hut at Cape Evans and the dogs still chained outside the hut as a legacy to the past! 


My advice to anyone, is, that  if  you ever get the chance to visit  this magic continent, take it, no matter what. It is an experience of a lifetime.