NEW ZEALAND Law and Practice Contributed by: Greg Ambler and Elizabeth Heaney, Tompkins Wake
Tompkins Wake is a full-service New Zealand law firm with more than 120 legal professionals and of- fices in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Rotorua. The firm’s private client and succession team ad- vises high net worth individuals, families, trustees and charitable entities on estate planning, succes- sion structures and the establishment and adminis- tration of trusts and estates. The practice regularly works alongside the firm’s relationship property, dis- pute resolution, tax, property and corporate teams on complex wealth structuring, family governance and intergenerational succession matters, including family business transitions and asset restructurings.
Lawyers in the team advise on domestic and interna- tional estates, trust administration and restructuring, enduring powers of attorney, elder law matters and succession-related disputes. Recent work includes advising family groups on multi-generational succes- sion planning, assisting trustees with complex estate administration and probate matters, establishing and managing major charitable entities, providing legal opinions on trustee duties and interpretation issues, and advising on disputes involving relationship prop- erty and family trust claims. The firm would like to thank law clerk Fraser Duncan for his contribution to this chapter.
Authors
Greg Ambler is a senior associate at Tompkins Wake specialising in succession and private client law. He advises individuals and family groups on complex estate planning, trust establishment and administration,
Elizabeth Heaney is a partner at Tompkins Wake specialising in relationship property, trust and estate disputes. She advises individuals, families and trustees on complex and often high-value disputes, including
relationship property matters, and both domestic and international estates, with a particular focus on mental capacity and adult decision-making issues. Greg also assists clients with succession-related disputes and provides practical advice on structuring wealth and governance arrangements for families and charitable entities. He joined the firm in 2024, having previously practised at a leading trust law firm in Auckland and at a prominent private client practice in the United Kingdom. Greg is a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and is affiliated with the New Zealand Law Society’s Family Law Section and the Legal Research Foundation.
claims involving trusts, estates and fiduciary obligations. Elizabeth has particular expertise in trustee and professional liability matters and regularly acts in contentious proceedings. She has broad civil litigation experience and represents clients in the Family Court, District Court, High Court and Court of Appeal, as well as in arbitration and mediation. Elizabeth joined the firm in 2024, having previously practised at TGT Legal and Morgan Coakle, and was appointed partner in 2025.
Tompkins Wake 430 Victoria Street, Westpac House Level 8, Hamilton Central Hamilton 3214 New Zealand Tel: +64 7 839 4771 Email: tomwake@tompkinswake.co.nz Web: www.tompkinswake.com
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