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Josh Cairns
BCA LLB • Wellington
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Josh leads the firm's banking and finance national practice group. He advises on both corporate finance transactions and corporate restructuring and insolvency engagements.
He acts for a range of financial institutions and corporates on financing transactions, and has a particular focus on the infrastructure sector. Based in Wellington, Josh also regularly acts for central and local government entities on complex projects and transactions.
Josh is also a leading restructuring and insolvency lawyer. He advises on all aspects of financial restructurings and work-outs, formal insolvencies, and the sale of distressed assets and debt. He has advised on many of New Zealand’s most complex and high-profile insolvency and restructuring assignments, and is a recognised expert in New Zealand’s voluntary administration regime and personal property securities (PPS) law.
Josh is Director of the Banking and Financial Services Law Association (BFSLA), and a member of the Restructuring, Insolvency & Turnaround Association of New Zealand (RITANZ).
Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024
Banking & Finance
Leading Lawyer
Asia Pacific Legal 500 2024
Banking & Finance
Leading Lawyer
Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024
Restructuring & Insolvency
Leading Lawyer
Asia Pacific Legal 500 2024
Restructuring & Insolvency
Leading Lawyer
Work Highlights
IFF programme
Lead adviser to the Crown on the Infrastructure Funding & Financing (IFF) programme, including advising the Crown on the design and implementation of the programme and enabling legislation, and advising The Treasury on the IFF funding and financing of the Western Bay of Plenty Transport System Plan (the first project to proceed under the IFF programme).
Transmission Gully PPP
Acted for the Wellington Gateway Partnership on the project financing of the Transmission Gully PPP project.
Lodestone Energy
Acted for Lodestone Energy on the holdco project financing of New Zealand’s largest ever solar farm project.
Kāinga Ora
Acting for Kāinga Ora on infrastructure funding and delivery arrangements to support its Large Scale Projects programme in Auckland under the $3.8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund.
Local authority financings
Lead adviser to the local authority and CCO sector on financing arrangements, including debt facilities, commercial paper programmes, derivative arrangements, LGFA finance and participation in public private partnerships.
Dunedin City Treasury
Acted for Dunedin City Treasury on all aspects of its $1.6 billion debt capital raising programme, including its bond programme, underwriting facilities and participation in LGFA.
Infrastructure Holdings Limited
Acted for Infrastructure Holdings Limited, a treasury vehicle established by Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council to raise finance for CCOs Port Nelson Limited and Nelson Airport Limited, on its common terms financing arrangements.
Fulton Hogan
Acted for the club lenders on $900 million corporate finance facilities for leading infrastructure company Fulton Hogan.
Port of Napier
Acted for Port of Napier on its corporate finance facilities in connection with its initial public offer.
Sustainable lending
Acting for domestic banks on a range of sustainable and social loans, including the development of Westpac’s sustainable lending products.
Optic Security Group
Acted for US fund manager, Arena Investors, on the Arena-led debt restructuring of the Optic Security Group, effected through a pre-packed voluntary administration and receivership.
Ebert Construction
Acted for PwC as receivers of Ebert Construction, the first formal insolvency to test the retention money trust regime under the Construction Contracts Act 2002.
Solid Energy
Acted for state-owned entity Solid Energy on its major debt restructurings (including under two Part 14 creditor compromises and its ground-breaking voluntary administration) and subsequent distressed asset sale process.
