Charlotte Carey

Senior Associate Pouarataki Pāhake

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Charlotte is an experienced lawyer with a varied background across a range of areas including banking, dispute resolution, and property matters.

She provides advice to many of New Zealand’s largest trading banks, financial institutions, insolvency practitioners, the Crown, and large corporate borrowers. Charlotte has particular expertise in insolvency, debt recovery and enforcement, and realisation of securities. She assists with initial enforcement and recovery issues and related proceedings, and regularly deals with receiverships and liquidations, farm debt mediations, and personal property securities issues.

Charlotte has a separate transactional banking practice with wide ranging experience acting for both borrowers and financiers in general corporate financing, property and construction financing, asset financing, and syndicated transactions. She also has an interest in sustainable finance transactions. Having recently completed a year-long secondment with Kānoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Charlotte has also gained experience acting for the Crown on numerous project financing transactions, and a necessary understanding of Public Finance Act considerations.

With more than a decade in practice, Charlotte draws on her breadth of experience to achieve thoughtful and pragmatic solutions. Always calm under pressure, Charlotte is known for her responsiveness and attention to detail. She understands and focuses on her clients’ needs and goals to deliver good, practical advice.

Career highlights

Advising the lead arranger banks on the syndicated financing of the acquisition of Vodafone New Zealand by a consortium comprising Infratil Limited and Brookfield Asset Management Limited for an enterprise value of $3.4 billion.

Assisting Kānoa – Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit as legal advisers on a number of regional funding projects. The unit is responsible for administering a range of funding to the community to accelerate regional development and New Zealand’s economic recovery from COVID-19.

Advising a large retirement village operator on the funding arrangements (including mezzanine and senior finance, in addition to subordinated syndicated investor debt arrangements) associated with a series of acquisitions of retirement villages and aged care facilities.

Acting for BNZ Bank on the enforcement of its security over a number of entities comprising a family-owned group, which had a long-established presence in agribusiness, and significant holdings in New Zealand and Australia. With more than $40 million in exposure, the matter was of significant importance to the bank.

Acting for Kiwibank (as well as the receivers, following appointment) on the receivership of the Stanley Group of eight companies, all trading in the construction sector.

Affiliations
  • Member, Institute of Finance Professionals New Zealand Incorporated (INFINZ)
  • Member, Restructuring Insolvency & Turnaround Association New Zealand Incorporated (RITANZ)
Achievements and recognition
  • Rising Star, Restructuring and Insolvency, The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific
  • Tier 1 team, Banking and Finance, The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific