Jayne O'Connell

Jayne has experience advising on a broad range of banking and finance transactions, with a particular focus on restructuring and insolvency transactions.

She advises insolvency practitioners, creditors, distressed companies and directors on all aspects of corporate insolvency processes.

Prior to joining Chapman Tripp, Jayne worked at a leading law firm in Madrid and London. Here she specialised in assisting multi-jurisdictional clients to navigate the complex challenges of financial distress and co-ordinate global transactions.

Jayne was recognised as a Future Legal Leader by NZ Lawyer in 2026.

Recent highlights

• Advising Calibre Partners as receivers of the Seascape Development, a partially complete $300m development in Auckland’s central business district.

• Advising Compass Group NZ on the accelerated distressed acquisition of the assets and business of Libelle Group from its liquidators for $7.5m, enabling the continuation of the Ministry of Education’s Healthy School Lunches Programme.

• Advising the Miraka Group on an accelerated sale to Open Country Dairy, including negotiating standstill arrangements with Bank of New Zealand and major shareholder creditors, coordinating shareholder approvals and implementing a solvent liquidation, with more than $34m due to Bank of New Zealand.

• Advising Baker Tilly Staples Rodway, as receivers of the Peacocks entities, on the receivership of three Auckland early childhood learning centres, including Ministry of Education licensing, employment and creditor priority issues, and $19.15m sale of the centres’ assets and businesses.

• Advising Calibre Partners, as receivers of Futureverse Corporation Limited, on all aspects of the appointment, including employee and occupancy arrangements, privacy and data issues, a hibernation strategy to preserve value, and the cross-border sale of assets across New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.