Qualifications : BA, LLB, TEP, University of Otago.

Peter is a property law specialist with expertise in agribusiness and rural law. He has over 30 years of experience practising law across the agriculture and commercial sectors and joined Tompkins Wake as a partner in 2009.

Peter is the immediate past chairperson of Tompkins Wake's Board of Partners and is noted as a recommended lawyer in The Legal 500 for Asia Pacific.

Peter's experience includes acting on large and complex infrastructure, farming and commercial property transactions, developments, and land acquisitions.

As one of New Zealand's senior dairy farming lawyers, Peter has an extensive farming practice with clients from the Far North through to Southland. His clients include share milkers through farming operations that produce in excess of 10 million kgs of milk solids. He is actively involved with the formation and management of farming syndicates, equity partnerships (both large and small) and share milking arrangements. He has particular expertise in resolving share-milking disputes. Peter advises farmers on infrastructural matters affecting them as landowners, including acquisitions for public works, access to and using water, wind and geothermal power generation and lines reticulation. His peers have recognised his rural expertise, and he chairs the New Zealand Law Society Rural Transactions Committee. He is an organiser of various Succession and Farming Law Conferences (both national and regional) and has convened the NZ LAW Rural Law Special Interest Group.

Peter is passionate about New Zealand agriculture and keeps up with the latest industry developments.

Peter is a senior trust lawyer who co-authored NZLS's submissions on the Trust Bill, which is currently before Parliament. A significant part of Peter's practice also specialises in personal asset planning for Tompkins Wake's private clients. Peter is a qualified practitioner and member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the worldwide professional association for those advising families across generations. Peter enjoys building long-term relationships with clients and assisting them in developing, growing, and managing their businesses and assets.

Before joining Tompkins Wake, Peter previously spent 13 years in Taupo, during which he acted for a wide range of Māori clients and entities, including Ahu Whenua Trusts, Māori Incorporations and Assembled Māori owners with various appearances in the Māori Land Court. Work included advising in respect of the Te Ture Whenua Act, forestry, farming (both pastoral and dairying), power generation and ownership structuring with national and international generation entities, long-term leasing and sale arrangements, and constitutional and trust advice.

Larger clients included Tauhara North No 2 Trust, Opawa Rangitoto 2C Incorporated, Opepe Farm Trust and Whenuatupu-Ohinemoa Trust. Peter continues to act for several Māori organisations and is currently involved with various matters for Whenuatupu Ohinemoa and providing advice on the Waituhi Forest Hapu Cluster Trust structure (being the ultimate recipients of the CNI Crown forestry interests settled as a result of the CNI Forest Claim).

Areas of expertise

Other Credentials

• Past Chairman, Tompkins Wake Board of Partners
• Trustee MESH Sculpture Hamilton
• New Zealand Law Society Property Section, Treasurer
• New Zealand Law Society Rural Law Committee
• TEP, Society of Trust and Estate Planners
• New Zealand Law Society Rural Transactions Committee, Chairman
• New Zealand Law Society Transactions Committee (Property)
• New Zealand Law Society Rural Law Conference, Co-organiser
• New Zealand Law Society Property Law Conference, Co-organiser
• New Zealand Law Society Rural Succession Conference, Co-organiser
• NZ Law Ltd, Director
• NZ Law Financial Planning Limited, Director
• Rural Special Interest Group - NZ Law, Convener 
• Recommended Lawyer, Real Estate and Construction, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024