Qualifications
LLB, BA (Hons), University of Auckland
Admitted
2008, New Zealand
Luke is a leading New Zealand expert in financial markets transactions, including bonds, securitisation and structured finance, sustainable finance, and derivatives. He also advises clients on bank and deposit taker regulation, digital assets, and fintech.
Luke previously worked in London and Hong Kong on debt and equity-linked capital markets transactions, including Euro Medium Term Note and commercial paper programmes, convertible and exchangeable bonds, regulatory capital, and liability management. This experience provides invaluable insight to New Zealand issuers looking to establish their debt programmes domestically or expand into offshore markets.
His combined international and local experience means Luke has a wealth of knowledge to share with clients through regular commentary including domestic financial regulatory developments, new product types, and the impact of European market regulation on New Zealand issuers.
Luke has been recognised as a Most Influential Lawyer by NZ Lawyer, a Leading Lawyer by Chambers Asia Pacific, a Next Generation Partner by Legal 500 Asia Pacific, and as Highly Regarded by IFLR1000.
Recent highlights
- Assisting with the structuring and establishment of the Community Housing Funding Agency, a bond aggregator providing large-scale, low-cost debt financing to New Zealand’s community housing providers.
- Providing regulatory advice on bank prudential regulation, tokenisation, and digital assets, including advising a major international financial institution in relation to its global stablecoin project.
- Assisting corporate clients with New Zealand secured and unsecured domestic bond issuances, including recent issuances for PFI, Precinct, TR Group, and Toyota Finance.
- Advising bank issuers on regulatory capital offerings, including Kiwibank’s $400m issuance of NZX-listed Tier 2 notes and Westpac’s $600m same-class Tier 2 note issuance.
- Assisting New Zealand issuers to access offshore markets, including Chorus’ EMTN issuances and liability management exercises, AMTN issuances by Chorus and Mercury, Westpac’s US 144A programme, and Hong Kong CMU issuances by CCB and ICBC.
- Assisting purchasers acquiring and financing several large portfolios of receivables under securitisation structures, including Pepper Money’s purchase and securitisation financing of HSBC’s retail loan book and Challenger’s acquisition of Bluestone’s mortgage loan portfolio.
- Assisting various derivatives counterparties on derivatives, including carbon derivative documentation, sustainability-linked derivatives, and significant risk transfer (SRT) structures.
Affiliations
- Member of the Institute of Finance Professionals New Zealand.
Luke has been a long-time great support to our business. He is always the go-to person when we require any legal advice or assistance on the debt capital market.Legal 500 Asia-Pacific – client interview
