A member of the firm's cross-disciplinary competition and regulatory law team, Oliver advises on contentious and non-contentious aspects of competition and regulatory law, including mergers and acquisitions, trade practices investigations, cartel investigations, leniency/amnesty applications and the defence of cartel damages claims.
He advises clients on a range of matters including commercial and contractual disputes, lease disputes, trade practices investigations and prosecutions. Oliver has appeared as sole or junior counsel in the District and High Courts, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court and is experienced in alternative dispute resolutions processes such as mediation, having attended the LEADR mediation course.
Some of Oliver's major projects
Acting for Shell Exploration NZ Limited in High Court proceedings in a complex commercial dispute between the parties to an oil and gas exploration joint venture, in proceedings involving over 10 alleged causes of action (including claims based on the Commerce Act 1986)
Acting for Hamilton Medical Laboratory Holdings (formerly Medlab Hamilton Limited) and New Zealand Diagnostic Group in the defence of penalty proceedings brought by the Commerce Commission under the Commerce Act 1986 concerning alleged anticompetitive conduct in the pathology industry in the Waikato
Acting for Shell New Zealand Limited in the defence of penalty proceedings brought by the Commerce Commission under the Fair Trading Act 1986 concerning Shell’s advertising for Fuel Economy Formula
Acting for Shell New Zealand Limited in interim injunction proceedings concerning a dispute with a distributor
Acting for Shell New Zealand Limited in its application for clearance to acquire the assets comprising Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited’s “swipe card bowser network” for general aviation (cleared in October 2008)
Representing clients involved in Commerce Commission investigations under the Commerce and Fair Trading Acts
Advising a client in lease dispute, acting for the plaintiff in summary judgment proceedings in the District Court
Advising Wellington Radiology on its sale to Pacific Radiology
Acting for New Zealand Post and Salmat in relation to the clearance for their unaddressed mail joint venture
Acting for Shell New Zealand in the sale of LPG assets to BOC
Advising on the NZ competition law aspects of Hamburg Süd’s acquisition of certain assets from FESCO
Advising New Zealand Diagnostic Group in relation to its proposed joint ventures with Sonic Healthcare
Advising a multinational client in relation to the defence of claims for damages brought in the English Commercial Court following on from the decision of the European Commission finding a series of cartels in the vitamins industry
Advising in relation to the first claims for cartel damages to be commenced in the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal
Advising in the latter phases of a European Commission investigation into an alleged agreement and concerted practice in the paper sector
Advising a UK-based client in the telecommunications sector in connection with a potential dispute concerning the interpretation of commercial agreements relating to “Third Generation” (3G) mobile infrastructure rollout
Advising in English Commercial Court proceedings concerning a shareholder dispute between major players in the telecommunications sector
Advising a multinational client in the UK, bringing proceedings in the UK and co-ordination similar proceedings in France, Germany and the Netherlands, in relation to an attempted “hack” into the client’s network
Publications
"Record penalties in NZ cartel prosecution", Andrew Matthews and Oliver Meech, Australian and New Zealand Trade Practices law bulletin, 22:2 24-26, May 2006
"Litigating contentious mergers", Andrew Matthews and Oliver Meech, Australian and New Zealand Trade Practices law bulletin, 22:3 44-46, June 2006
"NZCC successfully challenges bus merger", Andrew Matthews and Oliver Meech, Australian and New Zealand Trade Practices law bulletin, 22:5&6 84-86, September/October 2006
"Bus merger penalties", Andrew Matthews and Oliver Meech, Australian and New Zealand Trade Practices law bulletin, 22:8 108-109, January 2007
"Supermarkets bid for The Warehouse", Andrew Matthews and Oliver Meech, Australian and New Zealand Trade Practices law bulletin, 22:10 136-137, March 2007
"Jurisdiction judgment in wood chemicals cartel case extends the reach of the NZ Commerce Act", Andrew Matthews and Oliver Meech, Australian and New Zealand Trade Practices law bulletin, 23:3 38-42, June 2007
"Review of NZ merger process: some recommendations already implemented", Andrew Matthews and Oliver Meech, Australian and New Zealand Trade Practices law bulletin, 23:10 154-156, March 2008
"Duty-free stores and the year so far", Andrew Matthews and Oliver Meech, Australian and New Zealand Trade Practices law bulletin, 24:2 31-32, May 2008
Work history
Special Counsel, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, Wellington (2010 - current)
