Lauren Archer
Senior Associate - Corporate and Commercial

Lauren is a senior lawyer with expertise in a range of corporate and commercial matters. She specialises in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity and capital markets transactions, overseas investment, commercial contracting, and corporate governance.
Lauren’s clients include companies based in New Zealand and overseas. Experienced across a variety of industries, Lauren has worked on numerous acquisition transactions, including the first secondary Public Private Partnership (PPP) sell down in the New Zealand market. She manages and undertakes legal due diligence to identify risks and issues. She also drafts and negotiates share subscription agreements, asset and share sale and purchase agreements, and other transfer documents. Lauren regularly advises clients on the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) regime and the application process, including acting for Pan Pac Forest Products, AMP Capital and Souter Investments on their investments into New Zealand.
In the retirement village and aged care sector, Lauren has advised on a number transactions, including roll ups carried out by each of New Zealand Aged Care Services and Heritage Lifecare.
Taking a pragmatic approach to the law, Lauren enjoys finding practical and commercial solutions to complex legal issues.
Lauren is a co-author of Lexis Nexis Practical Business Law.
Professional background
Recent work
Forest Partners Carbon Partnership
Advising Z Energy, Todd Energy, Contact Energy and Genesis Energy on the establishment of the Forest Partners Limited Partnership – a limited liability partnership that invests in a forest portfolio to sequester carbon.
AMP Capital’s purchase of a 70% stake in the Wiri Public Private Partnership (PPP)
Advising AMP Capital Investors on the purchase of a 70% stake in the Wiri Prison PPP.
Pan Pac’s forestry standing consent
Advising Pan Pac Forest Products on multiple applications for overseas investment consent, including a forestry standing consent under the Overseas Investment Act, which became the first forestry standing consent granted in New Zealand.
Lifetime Group
Advising Camelot NZ on its merger with Lifetime Group and the merged group’s subsequent purchase of One50 Group.
KiwiSaver investments
Advising a KiwiSaver Scheme provider on a series of investments into New Zealand businesses undertaken by its KiwiSaver funds.
New Zealand Aged Care Services and Heritage Lifecare on roll ups of retirement village and aged care facilities
Advising each of New Zealand Aged Care Services and Heritage Lifecare on the respective roll ups of retirement villages and aged care facilities, including associated structuring and funding arrangements.
Souter Investments divestment of Howick and Eastern and Mana buses
Advising Souter Investments on the sale of the Mana Coach and Howick and Eastern bus businesses.
Z Energy $785 million acquisition of Chevron
Part of the team that advised Z Energy on its $785 million acquisition of Chevron New Zealand (which owns and operates the Caltex retail fuel brand in New Zealand).
Admitted
- 2009, New Zealand
Qualifications
- LLB (Hons), BCA, Victoria University of Wellington
Specialisations
- Corporate and Commercial
- Corporate Governance and Business Structuring
- Employee Share Schemes
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Overseas Investment
- Shareholders’ Agreements
- Retirement Villages
Awards
- Member of MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ internationally recognised Tier 1 (The Legal 500 Asia Pacific) and Band 1 (Chambers Asia-Pacific) Corporate team
Lauren Archer
- Office
- Wellington
- Phone
- +64 4 498 5092
- Mobile
- +64 21 118 5168
- Lauren.Archer@minterellison.co.nz
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-archer-22702475/?originalSubdomain=nz