Hobec’s Next Chapter

Holland Beckett is delighted to start its next chapter as the anchor tenant in the new Northern Quarter development and to play an active role in the revitalisation of Tauranga CBD.

Holland Beckett is the largest law firm in Tauranga. The firm, known originally as WS Holland, was established in 1937 by William Sydney Holland. In 1949 Holland was joined by Barney Beckett – the duo providing the well-known name of the firm. Over the 88 years since its establishment there have been several moves and changes as the firm grew from strength to strength. In 2008 expansion necessitated the move to ‘The Hub’ on Cameron Road and from there Holland Beckett – or Hobec – continued to be a legal leader in the region, their Tauranga office continuing to grow in size and capability, along with offices in Rotorua and Whakatāne.

When Hobec moved their Tauranga office to the open plan space at The Hub 17 years ago, it was a bold move.

Traditionally lawyers all had their own office, but the partners credit the growth of the firm to the flexible and collaborative environment. As a full service firm, specialist teams work together to share expertise and the open plan environment facilitates that collaboration, as well as enhancing supervision and delegation which are key to developing good lawyers. With expert senior specialists supported by highly skilled junior lawyers and support staff, the firm has the capability and capacity to provide exceptional service and value to clients over the full spectrum of legal services – from a simple Will to a complex legal matter.

Growth has now triggered the next move and the start of a new chapter for Holland Beckett, one that brings them into the landmark development that is Northern Quarter. Taking approximately 2000 square meters of space over the top floor and half of the second floor, the larger footprint has been thoughtfully designed, with the legal team located on the same floor, more breakout spaces and collaborative rooms with the most up to date AV technology.

Practice Manager Sharline Fitzgerald said “We are focused on providing an office that meets the needs and expectations of both clients and staff. With flexible work options now the norm we see benefits in making the office a destination that our people want to come to. As the city grows we are seeing a greater emphasis on public transport, cycleways and even a ferry service. These services tend to terminate at the CBD so we are looking forward to being able to increase our participation.”

With over 130 people in the Tauranga office, including almost 70 lawyers (compared to 14 when the firm moved into The Hub in 2008), Hobec decided to make this move to support the city that has supported them. The firm is well known for its contributions to the community, with a long history of committing time, energy and resources to a variety of organisations including sporting and cultural teams, community groups and charity initiatives, local events and the business community. Hobec wanted to have a physical presence in the heart of the city and to be part of the major redevelopment currently underway. Bringing their large team to the heart of the city is good for Holland Beckett – and it is great for the business, retail and hospitality sectors.

As Holland Beckett starts this next chapter the firm is delighted to celebrate the promotion of Hilary Anderson to Partner, five lawyers to Senior Associate and four to Associate in their Tauranga team.

Our new property Partner

Congratulations to Hilary Anderson, Holland Beckett’s newest Partner*.

Hilary is a highly regarded property and commercial lawyer with over 12 years of experience. She has a strategic focus on urban development from many years working with a prolific infill housing developer, giving her deep insight into the legal and practical challenges of intensification projects.

Hilary’s expertise spans residential and commercial property transactions and finance, property development, conveyancing, subdivisions, commercial leasing, franchising, and contract matters. She has significant experience advising high net worth individuals and families on private matters, including the management of complex trust structures and large estates.

Hilary is equally committed to supporting those entering the property market for the first time, recognising that buying a first home is one of the most significant financial and emotional decisions people make and that good, accessible legal advice is integral to making this a smooth and less daunting process.

Hilary joined Holland Beckett as Special Counsel in August last year, working with Dean Thompson and his team prior to his retirement. Before that, she spent over a decade at Cooney Lees Morgan, working closely with Owen Cooney.

Recognised in 2022 as one of New Zealand Lawyer’s Rising Stars, Hilary is known for being practical, straightforward and approachable.

Born in Ōhope, she has strong ties to Whakatāne and the Eastern Bay of Plenty and has called Tauranga home for more than thirteen years, where she is well regarded for her strong relationships and outstanding reputation in the community.

*Hilary’s promotion to partnership takes effect 1 October 2025, subject to NZLS approval.

Celebrating our Senior Associates

Holland Beckett is thrilled to introduce Bridget Bailey, Hester Sutherland-Stacey, Sophie Law, Jessica Fitzgerald and Rachel Withington – our new Senior Associates.

Bridget Bailey – Resource management

Bridget advises on all aspects of resource management and local government law, with a particular focus on consenting infrastructure and renewable electricity projects under the RMA and fast-track processes. Bridget provides pragmatic and strategic advice to public and private clients and has appeared in the Environment Court, High Court and local authority proceedings, as well as being appointed as Chair of an expert consenting panel under the Covid-19 fast track legislation.

Bridget is a member of the Auckland District Law Society Environmental and Resource Management Law Committee and the RMLA. She is also a committee member Mount Maunganui Playcentre.

Hester Sutherland-Stacey – Property and Commercial

Hester provides expert advice for developers, companies and individuals, with a focus on commercial property development.

She advises on a range of property and commercial matters such as acquisitions and disposals of land and businesses; leasing; ownership structures; financing arrangements; and a range of commercial matters including terms of trade, construction contracts and service contracts. She also advises on all residential property matters from family homes to large scale subdivisions.

Hester began her legal career working in employment law, civil and regulatory litigation. Practicing in these areas provided a strong foundation in legal processes and the practical realities for people and business entities.

Hester is a board member of ADAPT (Assisting Different Abilities Peoples Trust).

Sophie Law – Employment and Family

Sophie advises on a broad range of employment law matters, both contentious and non-contentious. Sophie has particular experience advising on personal grievance claims, disciplinary and performance processes, restructures, negotiated exits, employee investigations, and Holidays Act compliance issues. This includes assisting clients with representation in dispute resolution processes such as mediation and the Employment Relations Authority.

Sophie also assists employer clients to implement proper and thorough processes and is focussed on upskilling clients through delivering bespoke training workshops.

To complement her expertise in employment law, Sophie also works alongside our family law team advising on relationship property matters.

Sophie is a Trustee of He Kaupapa Kotahitanga Charitable Trust (HKKT).

Jessica Fitzgerald – Corporate

Jess has significant experience in a range of complex corporate matters including M&A, private equity, commercial contracts, corporate governance, and general corporate advice/structuring. She provides pragmatic results focused advice for corporate clients as well as small to medium sized businesses. She is a key team member for the firm’s corporate clients, including Port of Tauranga, Robotics Plus and Oriens Capital.

Rachel Withington – Property and Commercial

Rachel is an experienced property and commercial lawyer, working with private clients and their related entries across all facets of property and commercial law.

A multi-disciplinary lawyer, Rachel has expertise in residential conveyancing, along with commercial, rural and horticultural conveyancing and leasing. She advises on asset protection including trust establishment, trust management and trust wind ups, and estate and succession planning. She also advises in elder law, including occupation right agreements, residential care subsidies and loans, reverse mortgages and enduring powers of attorney.

Rachel advises commercial clients on sale and purchase of businesses, share sale and purchases, shareholders agreements and has specialist experience acting for Foodstuffs Members on the purchase and sale of New World, Four Square and PAK’nSAVE stores throughout the country.

Rachel is on the Board of the Tauranga Business Chamber.

Introducing our Associates

Congratulations to Angus Hendry, Emily Merrill, Rebecca Irvine and Waiata Groot who have recently been promoted to Associate.

Angus, Emily and Rebecca have experience across a wide range of property and commercial matters including sale and purchase of residential and commercial property, developments and subdivisions, sale and purchase of businesses, commercial contracts and leasing.

Alongside broad property and commercial knowledge, Angus has specialist expertise in trusts, charities, incorporated societies and estate planning. Emily has experience in buying and selling of kiwifruit orchards and forestry assets as well as renewable energy, advising both landowners and developers on large scale solar projects throughout New Zealand. Rebecca is particularly experienced in local government transactions and assists local and regional authorities.

Waiata is in Holland Beckett’s family law team, the largest family law team in the Bay of Plenty. She specialises across a broad range of family law matters and is committed to supporting clients through the legal process (often involving high-stress or sensitive family dynamics) to find the best solutions for clients, children and their wider families.

Partner John Mackay shares, “These promotions are testament to the quality of our lawyers and the continued growth of the firm. Holland Beckett now has around 70 lawyers across our Bay of Plenty offices and providing them with career progression and development is a key priority for us. These promotions over several key practice areas strengthen the leadership, capability and depth of our teams.”