Tom is an internationally recognised, award-winning technology law specialist with strong “black letter law” skills that he combines with a commercially pragmatic approach – traits highly valued by clients.
Head of the firm's TMT practice (which is recognised as Tier/Band 1 by prestigious directories Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 Asia Pacific) Tom is passionate about technology and telecommunications, their everyday use, and their ability to transform organisations. This is a passion borne out of working in the industry for more than 25 years in both New Zealand and the UK.
Clients appreciate Tom’s “excellent, clear and to-the-point legal advice” and identify him as “commercial and pragmatic, responsive and personable” with a “high level of intimate knowledge of the marketplace” (Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024). Drawing on significant in-house experience at Telefonica O2 UK and Spark New Zealand, Tom provides clients with commercially focused, practical, and timely legal advice.
Listed and private companies, universities, banks, health boards, public sector entities, government agencies, and start-ups all benefit from Tom’s expertise. He has developed a particular specialism negotiating agreements with software and service providers such as SAP, Salesforce, HPE, Oracle, Infor, and Microsoft, and system integrators and business integrators such as PwC, TCS, and Infosys.
Tom enjoys building relationships with his clients and assisting with all their technology needs. He advises on all technology law issues including outsourcing projects, managed services and “as a service”/cloud arrangements, agile contracting, technology transformation projects and large-scale technology procurement, as well as general software licensing and support agreements. Tom also has a wealth of experience in transitional services arrangements (TSAs), assisting our market leading M&A team through asset and share sale arrangements.
Tom advises on emerging technology areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), as well as cyber security and blockchain-related advice. He sits on the MinterEllisonRuddWatts Board as well as its sub-committee for AI Governance. He is an author and regular speaker on transformational and strategic technology issues and developments. Tom was also elected to the Board of Tech New Zealand in 2023 and re-elected in 2025 for a further two years.
Tom is individually recognised by all major international legal directories as a leading TMT lawyer, including as Band 1 in Chambers Asia-Pacific, a Leading Partner in Legal 500 Asia Pacific, and in Best Lawyers NZ, and Doyles Guide for Technology.
Career highlights
Advising Fletcher Building on a “once in a generation” ERP transformation project for critical technology infrastructure, hyperscaler arrangements, and agreements with both systems integrator and business integrator.
Advising Watercare on its Strategic Transformation Programme for both the critical technology infrastructure (cloud-based) and the associated implementation project (under an agile methodology) with Infor.
Advising a number of large New Zealand-based banks and other major corporates on strategic and business critical cloud/licensing and critical systems projects with companies including ACI Worldwide, Oracle, SAP, Salesforce, Microsoft and Infor (amongst others).
Advising Auckland University of Technology on its replacement of core on-line learning environment.
Advising Te Whatu Ora - Te Toka Tumai Auckland (formerly Auckland DHB) on its agreement with Intersystems to deliver a cloud-based, modern, extensible, and fit-for-purpose Patient Administration System.
Affiliations
- Member, Tech New Zealand Board
- Member, Institute of Directors
- Affiliate member, IT Professionals NZ
Achievements and recognition
- Band 1, Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT), Chambers Asia-Pacific
- Leading Partner, Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT), The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific
- Recognised, Information Technology Law, Best Lawyers
- Recognised, Privacy and Data Security Law, Best Lawyers
- Recognised, Telecommunications Law, Best Lawyers
- Recognised, Technology Law, Best Lawyers
- Recommended, Artificial Intelligence - Transactional and Advisory, Lexology, 2026
- Winner, Consumer, Media and Technology Deal of the Year, New Zealand Law Awards, 2018