Department profile
Hesketh Henry

Private Wealth Law

High Net Worth Guide 2025 : New Zealand

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Hesketh Henry

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About

Provided by Hesketh Henry

Hesketh Henry’s Private Wealth team is one of the largest private wealth teams in New Zealand, with both contentious and non-contentious expertise. We act for both UHNW and HNW clients across a range of issues.

We take the time to know our clients, to ensure we are building an estate plan which meets their needs and wishes. With our long history, we now proudly serve a significant number of second and third generation clients.

Our team’s substantial experience includes:

·        attending to key personal estate planning documents including wills, enduring powers of attorney and relationship property agreements;

·        reviewing and planning complex trust and succession structures;

·        acting in trust, estate and relationship property disputes;

·        all estate administration matters; and

·        establishing and assisting with the operation of charitable trusts.

We are also experienced in assisting off-shore clients in management of their New Zealand based assets.

Unique amongst New Zealand law firms, Hesketh Henry is focused on being sector specialists in key areas including the complementary fields of corporate and commercial, property, and litigation. Our Private Wealth practice collaborates closely with our other centres of excellence, enhancing the breadth and quality of services to our clients. 

Our team also works together with many different professional firms and all of the major banks in New Zealand.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Private Wealth Law - New Zealand

Band 1

What the Team is Known For
Hesketh Henry is an Auckland firm which provides highly sophisticated trust and estate planning and administration for high net worth clients. Its clients range from high net worth individuals and families to closely held businesses and their owners.
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Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • They have a superior understanding of the wider issues when you are dealing with things like family offices.

    Private Wealth Law respondentHigh Net Worth

  • They are masters at translating the complex and finding a practical path forward.

    Private Wealth Law respondentHigh Net Worth

  • What makes them unique is they understand trusts and estates from a structuring perspective but also look down the road at where things might cause trouble.

    Private Wealth Law respondentHigh Net Worth

  • Hesketh Henry has timely responses to our questions and to other parties involved. Good industry knowledge assists them in responding appropriately for our industry.

    Private Wealth Law respondentHigh Net Worth

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Mary Joy Simpson
    Mary Joy Simpson

    Mary Joy Simpson

    Mary Joy Simpson's practice includes trust and estate planning and administration as well as establishing family offices for clients.

    • Mary Joy is very thorough and conscientious, and she is very confident in what she does.

      Private Wealth Law respondentHigh Net Worth

    • Mary Joy Simpson, in my view, is the leading private wealth and trust and estate adviser in New Zealand.

      Private Wealth Law respondentHigh Net Worth

    • Mary Joy Simpson has got a very good knowledge of her specialist area and is quite practical in her advice. She's very good at communicating and explaining complex things in a way clients understand.

      Private Wealth Law respondentHigh Net Worth

    • Mary Joy’s commerciality, deep experience and unique ability to convert complex matters into actionable steps adds huge value and helps bring peace of mind to our mutual private clients.

      Private Wealth Law respondentHigh Net Worth
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  • Emma Tonkin
    Emma Tonkin

    Emma Tonkin

    Emma Tonkin covers private wealth issues such as advising high net worth clients on trusts and restructuring.

    • Emma builds trust quickly with clients, has deep technical expertise which she applies in a practical way, and is an overall delight to work with.

      Private Wealth Law respondentHigh Net Worth

    • Emma is very proactive. She's also quite detail-conscious and makes sure all bases are covered. She has got quite a calm demeanour, which is useful with family matters, and certainly knows the law.

      Private Wealth Law respondentHigh Net Worth

    • Emma Tonkin has great attention to detail. She's practical and good to work with. Clients like working with her. She approaches things quite holistically and thinks about all the aspects.

      Private Wealth Law respondentHigh Net Worth

    • Emma Tonkin is a very careful, precise operator. She is very insightful and has a lot of foresight to see potential issues and avoid them, and she structures her advice in that way.

      Private Wealth Law respondentHigh Net Worth
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  • John Kirkwood
    John Kirkwood

    John Kirkwood

    John Kirkwood is knowledgeable in advising closely held family businesses on succession planning and trust administration. He combines this with a highly commercial practice involving business sales and banking.
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Ranked Individuals at Hesketh Henry (3)

New Zealand

Members

Provided by Hesketh Henry

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