Innovation

“Innovation is critical to diversifying New Zealand’s economy. It provides new technologies, new products and new processes. It creates new business models and opens up new markets, expanding the range of international opportunities. It allows New Zealand businesses to compete and win on the world stage. Ultimately this drives economic growth, is a key ingredient in developing higher-value exports and greater diversity, and provides more opportunities for New Zealanders.” - The Business Growth Agenda 2017
Innovation is one of the six key areas of New Zealand’s Business Growth Agenda with the Governments overarching goal to support New Zealand businesses to bring new technologies and other innovations to market.
Tompkins Wake has a long history and deep expertise in supporting innovation, working with clients from start-ups to established New Zealand businesses helping remove barriers to accelerate success both domestically and on the global stage.
R&D is crucial for creating a strong and diversified economy, and we are experienced in working with Callaghan Innovation's grants and funding framework. We also have significant experience in establishing collaboration projects and providing legal support to angels and venture capital investors during the negotiation processes.
Tompkins Wake is the New Zealand member of Multilaw, an elite global network (as ranked by Chambers & Partners Global) of independent law firms providing clients with the comfort of having over 10,000 recognised experts across more than 150 commercial centres globally. Multilaw enables Tompkins Wake to provide full support for our clients as they transact globally in their everyday operations.
Examples of our work:
Some of our recent work has included acting for:
- Gallagher Group, winners of multiple innovation awards with their innovative product development.
- FOOD WAIKATO, New Zealand’s first and only independent spray dryer capable of developing new products, from concept to commercialisation.
- Lightwire – Pioneer of innovative rural broadband solutions, Lightwire turn research and development into world-class internet solutions connecting small communities and more recently, providing complex network, data and internet solutions.
- Waikatolink, the commercialisation arm of the University of Waikato, and its portfolio companies on capital raising, restructuring, licensing and exits.
Tompkins Wake has also supported the New Zealand National Fieldays Innovation Centre and Innovation Awards demonstrating a commitment to back and support innovation at a grassroots level. Tompkins Wake provided commercialisation and intellectual property advice to help accelerate innovators path to market, with MyApiary, Antahi and Halter recent examples.
Areas of expertise:
- Biotechnology
- Capital Raising
- Commercialisation of Intellectual Property
- Corporate Restructuring
- Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP)
- Investment
- Joint Ventures
- Overseas Investment Office applications
- Shareholder Agreements
- Technology Commercialisation
- Venture Capital
- International Trade
- Non-disclosure and Confidentiality Agreements
- Terms of Trade
Innovation team

Mark Renner
Partner

Philip Monahan
Partner

Phil Taylor
Partner

Shelley Slade-Gully
Partner
