Managing Director Will Downey was born and raised on dry stock farms through-out the central north island and has first experience in New Zealand agribusiness and rural law. With Will’s family still farming in the King Country, we understand farming and agribusiness and the challenges and opportunities of operating in New Zealand’s primary sector.

Goodwill Law works collaboratively to ensure our agribusiness and rural clients have access to expertise that can deal with the many and varied issues across the sector, including Rural Law, Commercial Law, Environmental Law, Health and Safety and Employment Law.

How we help

Rural Law

Our team assist clients on:

• grazing/agistment agreements

• share farming agreements

• crop sale agreements and commodity supply agreements

• acquisition and disposal of livestock

• farm management agreements with third party managers

• contract milking agreements

• herd owning sharemilking agreements

• stock leases and stock lease agreements

• grazing leases and agreements for sale and purchase of stock.

Commercial

Our team assist clients on:

• investment

• mergers and acquisitions

• capital raising 

• formation issues for start-ups, such as:

  • venture capital, strategic investments, commercial agreements and intellectual property protection

• ownership structures including partnerships, companies, sole traders and joint ventures

• finance and securities

• overseas investment

• supply contracts

• acquisition of farm equipment from both domestic and international suppliers, including letters of credit and shipping arrangements.

Employment and Health & Safety

Our team assist clients on:

• individual employment agreements – permanent and fixed term

• casual employment agreements

• contract for services agreements

• workplace drug and alcohol policy and farm safety management systems. 

Property

We are experienced in all aspects of land tenure associated with farmland including:

• freehold land

• pastoral leases

• long-term Crown leases

• lease agreements

• forestry rights/profit-à-prendres and plantation licences

• access rights and easements

• deeds of lease for rural land

Environmental

Our Environmental and Resource Management team advise our agribusiness and rural clients on:

• water acquisitions and disposals, including water licences, water entitlements and water shares from government

• environmental issues, including flora and fauna/critical habitat protection and the interface with farming

• mining and quarrying interests and the interface with farming.