LAWYER PROFILE

Josh Cairns

Asia-Pacific 2026

Simpson Grierson

Ranked in 2 practice areas

Restructuring/Insolvency

New Zealand

6 years ranked

Banking & Finance

New Zealand

8 years ranked

Contributions and articles

1 Global Practice Guides

About

Provided by Simpson Grierson

Practice Areas

Josh advises on both corporate finance transactions and corporate restructuring and insolvency engagements. He is on the firm's Board of Management.

He acts for a range of financial institutions and corporates on financing transactions, and has a particular focus on the infrastructure sector. Based in Wellington, Josh also regularly acts for central and local government entities on complex projects and transactions.

Josh is also a leading restructuring and insolvency lawyer. He advises on all aspects of financial restructurings and work-outs, formal insolvencies, and the sale of distressed assets and debt. He has advised on many of New Zealand’s most complex and high-profile insolvency and restructuring assignments and is a recognised expert in New Zealand’s voluntary administration regime and personal property securities (PPS) law.

Professional Memberships

Director of the Banking and Financial Services Law Association (BFSLA)

Member of the Restructuring, Insolvency & Turnaround Association of New Zealand (RITANZ)

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Chambers Asia & Pacific

Restructuring/Insolvency - New Zealand

Band 2

Individual Editorial

Josh Cairns is active across the spectrum of insolvency and restructuring law, focusing closely on formal insolvency and complex debt restructuring mandates. Based in Wellington, he is singled out for his voluntary administration-related expertise.

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Banking & Finance - New Zealand

Band 3

Individual Editorial

Josh Cairns has a versatile practice acting for government bodies on innovative financing matters. He also counsels banking and non-banking clients on high value debt restructurings.

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Strengths

Provided by Chambers

Josh is really pragmatic and good at what he does. He brings clarity and is very good at identifying risks.
Restructuring/InsolvencyChambers Asia & Pacific
Josh is able to take advice and break it down into plain English. He provides consistently clear commercial advice.
Restructuring/InsolvencyChambers Asia & Pacific
Josh Cairns had a strong awareness of the commercial outcomes we were looking to achieve and understood the financing structure required to achieve them.
Banking & FinanceChambers Asia & Pacific
His market knowledge is strong and he's well connected in the Wellington market.
Banking & FinanceChambers Asia & Pacific