Partner - Auckland
Kate Muirhead
Kate is a highly experienced litigator, who clients trust to provide expert advocacy and clear, focussed and practical advice.
Kate is a highly experienced litigator, who clients trust to provide expert advocacy and clear, focussed and practical advice.
Expertise
About
Acting for public and private-sector clients on contentious and non-contentious matters, Kate’s speciality is managing complex claims, such as acting for hundreds of investors in a class action against ANZ Bank, and for shareholders in a class action concerning the collapse of CBL Corporation Ltd (in liquidation).
Kate regularly advises on public law, regulatory, and compliance matters, and acts in judicial review proceedings.
As well as acting for regulators in enforcement matters Kate is an experienced Crown prosecutor.
Recent Cases & Achievements
Class Actions
Successfully obtained leave to discontinue and approval of distribution directions in the CBL class action (T.E.A. Custodians Ltd v Wells & Ors (in liq) [2023] NZHC 2721)
Successfully opposed an application to strike out the class action brought on behalf of hundreds of victims of New Zealand’s biggest Ponzi scheme (Scott v ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd [2020] NZHC 906; [2020] 3 NZLR 145)
Regulatory Advice & Litigation
First-ever successful claim for breach of good-character conditions under the Overseas Investment Act (Chief Executive of Land Information New Zealand v Agria (Singapore) Pte Ltd [2019] NZHC 514), and acting for the Overseas Investment Office in six other proceedings to secure civil pecuniary penalties for breaches of that Act.
Acting for the Commerce Commission on behalf of thousands of consumers in a representative civil claim against two finance companies, and in criminal appeal proceedings brought by those companies.
Other disputes
Successfully resisting a declaratory judgment application in Bartle Group Ltd v New Zealand Transport Agency [2020] NZHC 35
Successfully defending a claim alleging novel tortious and statutory duties in Cook v Housing New Zealand Ltd [2018] NZCA 57
Credentials
Admitted as NZ Barrister and Solicitor, 2011
LLB(First Class Hons)/BA, University of Otago
Ministry Standards Commission of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, 2021 to present
Auckland Women Lawyers’ Association Executive Committee, 2015–2017