James Riddoch
Asia-Pacific Guide 2024
Band 3 : Construction
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
+64 27 447 7668Share profile
Band 3
About
Provided by James Riddoch
Practice Areas
Construction
Career
James is a specialist front end construction lawyer and leads our Christchurch construction team. He has 25 years’ experience in New Zealand and the UK with a particular focus on social infrastructure. Within the wider Greenwood Roche construction team James’s main focus is working client side in the public sector.
Prior to joining Greenwood Roche, James spent 11 years practicing in London where he was recommended for his work in development in the social housing sector. James returned to Christchurch in 2013 to lead the firm’s engagement on Kāinga Ora’s $1.4b Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Programme. Kāinga Ora remains a key client and James continues to provide support for its delivery programme including advising on its major projects, developing and implementing innovative forms of bulk procurement (for suppliers, consultants, and contractors, both new build and retrofit), developing contract tools for its modern methods of construction programme, and working with Kāinga Ora and its build partners on reshaping residential construction through the Housing Delivery System.
James provides contracting and procurement advice for public and private sector projects in a range of sectors. While predominantly acting on the client-side James also acts for a number of contractors. This, in combination with James’s long-standing involvement with Property Council, gives him a deep understanding of the market which enables James to provide clients with balanced, commercial and accessible advice.
Last year James provided guidance to the construction sector, for the Construction Sector Accord, on issues arising from Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland flood events and presented, for the New Zealand Law Society, to construction lawyers on procurement and construction issues.
James is currently the Regional Chair of the South Island Branch of the Property Council and was a director on its National Board to November 2023.
Professional Memberships
Society of Construction Law
Current South Island Chair of Property Council of New Zealand and past director on Property Council’s national board.
Publications
Construction Law – Change and Transformation, New Zealand Law Society CLE, 2023
Clients
Kainga Ora—Homes and Communities
Christchurch City Council
Invercargill City Council
MBIE
MFAT
Apollo Projects
Westland Dairy Company
University of Canterbury
Spark
Work Highlights
Kainga Ora – Housing Delivery System
Invercargill City Council – Southland Museum
Apollo Projects – Ruakura Coolstores
Westland Dairy Company – Lactoferrin upgrades
Expert in these Jurisdictions
New Zealand and UK
Experience
Greenwood Roche 2013 –
Winckworth Sherwood LLP (London) 2002-2006 and 2011 – 2013
Dawsons LLP (London) 2006 – 2011
Duncan Cotterill 2000 – 2002
Discover other Lawyers at
Greenwood Roche
New Zealand
Key Sectors
Provided by Greenwood Roche
Government and Public Sector
Property, Construction and Infrastructure
Education
Industrials, Engineering and Manufacturing