Qualifications
BCom, LLB (Hons), University of Auckland
Admitted
1998, New Zealand
As the head of our national Tax practice, Bevan advises on a wide range of tax matters.
His experience includes restructuring, international transactions and transfer pricing, significant mergers and acquisitions, financing and capital raising transactions, tax disputes and tax risk management.
Bevan regularly assists clients obtaining binding rulings and advance pricing agreements for complex commercial, funding and cross border related party transactions. His extensive financial services experience sees him regularly advising on the tax rules applicable to banking, insurance and investments/funds management (including the portfolio investment entity (PIE) rules).
Prior to joining Chapman Tripp, Bevan was with ASB Bank where he had overall responsibility for the tax affairs of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia's New Zealand group, including ASB and Sovereign Life Assurance. This, combined with his experience in private practice, means Bevan is uniquely placed to understand clients' tax requirements.
Bevan is recognised as a Highly Regarded Practitioner by ITR World Tax 2025 and a Leading Lawyer by Chambers Asia Pacific 2026.
Recent highlights
- Advising the independent directors of the manager of NZX-listed Vital Healthcare Property Trust on the $214m internalisation of Vital’s management rights.
- Advising Challenger Limited on its acquisition of Bluestone Mortgages NZ’s residential mortgage portfolio, valued at approximately $600m, including the establishment of Challenger Mortgage Management’s business in New Zealand and a new securitisation trust to hold the loan portfolio.
- Advising Bank of New Zealand on its double fintech acquisition of BlinkPay and Centrapay.
- Advising multinational groups on a range of complex and in some cases novel New Zealand tax issues arising from cross-border arrangements including permanent establishment, transfer pricing (including advance pricing agreements applications), Withholding Tax and Goods and Services Tax implications.
- Advising Pepper New Zealand Limited on all tax aspects of its acquisition and securitisation funding of HSBC’s $1.4bNew Zealand home loan business.
- Advising New Ground Capital Limited on the design and establishment of a housing fund, set up to address housing shortages, including tax advice on design of the fund and application of New Zealand’s tax rules to investment funds.
- Advising Vector Limited on the tax aspects of material transactions including:
- the sale of Vector OnGas, its liquified petroleum gas business, together with its 60.25% shareholding in Liquigas Limited, and
- the sale of 50% of its New Zealand and Australian metering business, Vector Metering, to investment vehicles managed by QIC Private Capital Pty Limited for an estimated $2.5b, delivering $1.7b in gross proceeds.
Affiliations
- Co-chair of the Financial Services Council Tax committee.
- Member of the IFA NZ committee.
- Member of the Institute of Directors.
- Regular presenter at domestic and global tax conferences.
- Previous Chair of the New Zealand Bankers’ Association Tax Working Group.
