Stuart has experience in a broad range of domestic and international banking and finance transactions. He specialises in real estate financing where he has acted on a number of NZ's significant real estate financing transactions in recent years.

Stuart’s real estate financing work includes transactions relating to commercial and apartment buildings, shopping centres, hotels, residential subdivisions, aged–care facilities and retirement villages, farms, marinas, social housing, property syndications, and KiwiBuild arrangements. 

His expertise extends to not only the financing aspects of such transactions, but also the related commercial aspects, including leases, sale agreements, management contracts, construction contracts, and tripartite arrangements with third parties.

He also has particular expertise in asset financing and leasing (including aircraft, ships, heavy equipment, and trucks) and in corporate and commercial banking.

Stuart previously spent several years in the structured and asset finance team at Allen & Overy LLP in London.

Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024
Banking & Finance

Leading Lawyer

Work Highlights

Hyatt Hotel

Funding for $300 million plus development of Hyatt hotel in Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter.

Calder Stewart Group

Significant funding under a club financing structure for the operations of one of the South Island’s largest private group of companies.

EROAD Ltd

Highly innovative funding for NZX listed company ERoad Limited, which enabled it to leverage future contracted income - winner of the Debt Deal of the Year in the 2018 INFINZ Awards.

Funding by offshore lender for $244 million purchase of an energy efficient office development at 155 Fanshawe Street, Auckland CBD and $113 million purchase of the newly developed AA Insurance House at 46 Sale St, Auckland.

Syndicated funding of $290 million for industrial property acquisitions of Centuria NZ Industrial Fund.

FortHill Property

$100 million plus of club funding for this wholesale investment property fund to finance the acquisition of commercial and industrial buildings.

Development funding of $121 million for the development of a prime office building in Wellington’s CBD.

Invesco Real Estate Management

$214 million purchase of the QBE Tower at 125 Queen St, Auckland and $181 million purchase of a 50% interest in the ANZ Centre on Albert St, Auckland.

Pacific Property Fund

Syndicated funding of $123 million comprising a variety of facilities for term, revolving and acquisition funding.

Augusta

Funding for $141 million purchase and development of Mercury Building in Newmarket, Auckland by an Augusta Property Syndicate.

Augusta

Syndicated funding for establishment of the Augusta Industrial Fund for the purchase of four industrial properties valued at $118 million.

Marubeni Equipment Finance

Establishment of equipment financing business in New Zealand.

Tait Electronics

Complex syndicated receivables purchase agreement with three financiers.

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust

Significant restructuring of Trust's commercial arm's debt under new bilateral facilities with several banks.

Spotless Group

Syndicated refinancing of group debt out of Term Loan B market in United States valued at US$845 million and A$200 million (first lien) and US$235 million (second lien), followed by syndicated financing of group to provide funding for IPO.

Hoyts Corporation

US$410 million and A$40 million syndicated refinancing of group's debt out of Term Loan B market in United States.

Construction funding for boutique retirement village in Newmarket, Auckland and aged-care facility in Three Kings, Auckland.

Areas of Expertise

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