Toby Sharpe

Contact Toby

Toby is a corporate partner with extensive experience across a wide range of commercial transactions including mergers and acquisitions, capital raisings, corporate restructurings, joint ventures and other complex transactions.

Toby builds long term relationships with his clients. He gets to know their business and issues in order to present the advice that gets the results they need. He has a reputation for being able to get alongside his clients and other stakeholders, having a facilitative and collaborative working style and providing well-informed and pragmatic advice.

The Chambers Asia Pacific 2025 recognises Toby as a leading corporate/commercial lawyer. Toby is also recognised as 'Highly regarded' in the IFLR1000 2024 for his private equity and M&A work.

Toby has extensive experience in public and private capital markets transactions, including IPOs, other equity capital markets transactions, public and private M&A.

He has a detailed understanding of financial sector regulatory issues, and regularly advises on transactions in a regulated context.

Work highlights

Arvida acquisition
Advised Stonepeak on its acquisition of retirement village operator Arvida Group Limited by way of court-approved scheme of arrangement. The overall transaction value was approximately $2 billion, involving the acquisition of all outstanding shares and the refinancing of Arvida debt.

Vital Healthcare Property Trust
Acted for NorthWest Healthcare, the manager of Vital Healthcare Property Trust, on a range of governance and transactional matters, including capital raisings, acquisitions, fee and governance review and proposals relating to the restructuring and dual listing of the trust.

Bluestone Home Loans disposal
Acted for Bluestone Group on the sale of its New Zealand mortgage loan portfolio to Challenger Life for approximately $600 million.

ASB partnership with CMC Markets
Advised ASB on its agreement with CMC Markets Stockbroking to deliver a new, enhanced share trading platform.

Craigs disposal of QuayStreet
Acted for Craigs Investment Partners on the sale of the QuayStreet business to Smartshares Limited (a division of NZX). This involved the sale of the management rights to the QuayStreet Funds and QuayStreet KiwiSaver managed investment schemes (and associated assets). In addition to the sale and purchase, Craigs and Smartshares entered into a long-term distribution arrangement pursuant to which Craigs will market QuayStreet and Smartshares products through the Craigs advisor network.

AGP / Freedom Lifestyle Villages
Advised AGP Capital on its investment in Freedom Lifestyle Villages.

Altos / Tracksuit
Advised Altos (a US-based venture capital firm) on its investment as lead investor in the Series A round for Tracksuit

European Energy Exchange
Advised European Energy Exchange on the acquisition of a 1/3rd stake in Global Dairy Trade, alongside NZX and Fonterra. Global Dairy Trade conducts international auctions for dairy products that are a critical component of Fonterra setting its farm gate milk price.

Westpac Life acquisition by Fidelity Life
Acting for Fidelity Life on its acquisition of Westpac Group's New Zealand life insurance business, associated equity funding arrangements and 15 year strategic alliance with Westpac New Zealand.

Toll Holdings divestment
Acted for Toll Holdings on the sale of its Toll Global Express business to Australian private equity fund manager Allegro Funds.

Villa Maria receivership
Acting for the receivers of FFWL, the parent company of the Villa Maria business, on its sale to Indevin.

Harmoney IPO
Acted for Harmoney on its initial public offering and ASX and NZX listing.

Mixed ownership model
Advised the Crown (through the Treasury) on the design and implementation of the Mixed Ownership Model (MOM) programme, including the NZ$1.9 billion Meridian Energy initial public offering, and the NZ$3.5 billion Mighty River Power (now Mercury) initial public offering.

Contact Toby

Work highlights

Latest corporate insights