Peter C. Kelly

BARRISTER

QUALIFICATIONS

LLB (1st Class Honours)
Victoria University of Wellington,
MMgt (Distinction),
Massey University

CONTACT

T 04 914 1056


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Peter C. Kelly

EXPERTISE

  • Civil and Commercial Litigation

  • Public Law

  • Family Property, with a particular focus on family trusts

“After we discovered malfeasance by a member of our committee, Mr Kelly provided our incorporated society and registered charity with a clear-eyed assessment of our options and of the situation. Peter is forthright, an excellent communicator, and he treated us with consummate professionalism as we navigated challenging circumstances.”
— Tom Eastman, President of Python New Zealand

Peter practices in civil litigation, public law, and family property. His practice also includes  professional disciplinary and competence matters, such as those under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. Peter particularly enjoys technical areas of law such as defamation and complex trust disputes. He regularly appears in the High Court and District Court. He has also appeared in the Court of Appeal, Employment Court, Employment Relations Authority, and Family Court.

Prior to joining Barristers.Comm Peter worked for Dentons Kensington Swan in the Corporate and Commercial Team with a focus on privacy and technology, and prior to that was the Legal Manager for Catalyst IT, a technology company.

Peter has business management qualifications and experience, including both commercial decision-making and advisory roles such as providing risk advisory services. His professional experience also includes energy market reform and governance, and serving as an electoral official.

“When I started working with Peter, I had been separated for more than three years without progress on the family trust and relationship property I shared with my ex-husband. Peter recorded what had happened and structured my affidavits clearly so that a judge could see that our trust needed intervention, and the court appointed new trustees. Peter was then central to the negotiations, mediation, and settlement that followed. I got a good outcome and the family farm was kept in the family. I am extremely grateful for his expert advice and the work he did to achieve that result, and recommend him highly.”
— Julia

  • Member of the New Zealand Bar Association

  • Member of the Family Law Section of the New Zealand Law Society

  • Member of the Legal Research Foundation

    PUBLICATIONS

  • ‘Contracting out Rules for Family Income Sharing Arrangements: Providing Certainty and Protecting the Vulnerable’
    (2021) 52 VUWLR 89

  • ‘Reforming Family Law Without Compromising the Integrity of Trust Law: Recognising Wealth Held in Trust When Reallocating Family Property on Separation’ (2023) 30 CantaLR 161

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