Nearly all of New Zealand's largest takeovers, mergers and acquisitions have involved Simpson Grierson. We act for both New Zealand and overseas clients. The Simpson Grierson Corporate Advisory and Simpson Grierson commercial teams provide significant opportunities to leverage our skills in the area of Mergers and Acquisitions

Technical expertise, practical ability and responsiveness to ever-changing demands are essential requirements in any M&A transaction. The members of Simpson Grierson Corporate Advisory and of the Simpson Grierson commercial team possess all of these qualities. They also offer a depth of experience that will assist clients to obtain and add value in M&A transactions. We have had extensive involvement in providing M&A solutions for both local and overseas clients, and their advisers, in numerous high-profile M&A transactions.

Our firm comprises both industry specialists, with a depth of knowledge of their industries in which our clients undertaking transactions operate (such as telecommunications, forestry, insurance, information technology, financial services), and transaction specialists, with a depth of experience in "doing the deals". They work very closely together to bring real benefits to our clients.

Our track record includes involvement in virtually all of New Zealand's largest and most noteworthy M&A transactions. For some recent examples of M&A deals in which we have played a key role please click here.

Our M&A expertise has seen us acting for acquirers and targets, investment banks and brokers, funders, receivers, shareholders and boards in relation to contested and friendly acquisitions, divestments and reconstructions. We have also been heavily involved in the different stages of corporatisation of business divisions by central and local government, by creating State Owned Enterprises (SOEs)and Council Controlled Trading Organisations (CCTOs), and the subsequent privatisation of a number of those businesses. In addition, our expertise in the private equity field has led to our involvement in acquisitions to and by private equity funders, including management buy-out (MBO) teams.

Our experience extends to dealing with regulatory bodies including the Commerce Commission, Securities Commission, Overseas Investment Office, New Zealand Exchange Limited (NZX) and a host of other central and local government agencies.

We have also worked through the recent changes in the regulation of takeovers in New Zealand, heralded by the adoption of the Takeovers Code, with target companies, acquirers, shareholders and directors. As a result, we have quickly become adept at juggling the dual requirements of the Listing Rules of the New Zealand Stock Exchange and those of the Takeovers Code. We have been involved in many dealings with and hearings before the Takeovers Panel.

All M&A transactions in which we have been involved involve a matrix of practical and legal issues. Our planning processes give our clients a head start in dealing with the practical side of M&A transactions, allowing the differing demands of all participants (including commercial advisers, regulators and stock exchanges, New Zealand and international) to be met in a methodical way. Our M&A expertise extends to dealing with the complex tax issues that are often a feature of M&A transactions, including cross-border tax issues.

Our M&A experience covers the full spectrum of business activity in New Zealand. We are also very comfortable dealing with new and intricate issues that are increasingly becoming a feature of business acquisitions and divestments in the technology and innovation sector as well as issues that are specific to the rural economy.