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Rainey Collins Lawyers

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Rainey Collins Lawyers

Based in Wellington, we have been helping clients located throughout New Zealand for over 100 years. Collins commenced practice. He took Mr W.

The origins of Rainey Collins can be traced to 1919 when Mr R. Rainey into partnership shortly thereafter. Since those times the firm has undergone three mergers and its name has changed to accommodate these developments and the appointment of partners to the High Court Bench. In 1957 Mr McCarthy (later Sir Thaddeus McCarthy, President of the Court of Appeal) was appointed to the then Supreme Court. The name was changed in 1961 to Rainey Collins Armour and Boock when Mr W. Leicester followed Mr McCarthy onto the bench. In 1986 the firm merged to become Rainey Collins & Olphert and in 1991 the practice merged with Wright & Co of Auckland. The name was changed to Rainey Collins in 2003. This three partner, thirteen lawyer firm is organised into three broad teams supervised by the partners. Business, Property & Personal Legal Services (Claire Tyler), Māori Legal Issues (Peter Johnston) and Dispute Resolution & Litigation (Alan Knowsley).

23/10/2026

Rainey Collins Lawyers is proud to support DAY ONE Hāpai te Haeata and to be credited as Legal Advisers to the DAY ONE Shorts 2026 series.

DAY ONE provides rangatahi with the tools, guidance and opportunities to share their stories on screen. Following their Show Me Shorts premiere, the 2026 short films are now available to watch online for free.

Congratulations to all of the talented filmmakers, producers, creatives, Chris and Anna (and all of the DAY ONE Hāpai te Haeata team) involved in bringing this year’s stories to the screen.

🎬 Watch the DAY ONE Shorts 2026: https://dofilm.co.nz/shorts-archive/

20/10/2026

Rainey Collins is delighted to announce the recent appointments of Raiyan Azmi and Emily Hannon as Solicitors in our Business and Dispute Resolution and Litigation teams respectively.

Raiyan joined Rainey Collins in 2023 as a Law Clerk and was admitted to the High Court earlier this year. He has a particular interest in commercial transactions, company disputes, insolvency and liquidation law, unit titles and body corporate matters, corporate governance, and commercial litigation. With a background in accounting as well, Raiyan brings a practical, commercially focused approach to his legal advice.

Emily joined Rainey Collins earlier this year with a particular interest in family law. Emily was also admitted to the High Court earlier this year. Originally from the Manawatu, she brings an empathetic approach to her work and is committed to supporting clients through complex and challenging family situations.

We congratulate them on their promotions and look forward to their continued valuable contributions to the firm and our clients.

05/10/2026

Many Property Managers appointed under the PPPR Act worry they need accounting qualifications to meet their obligations. The reality is much simpler. With good organisation, accurate record-keeping, and an understanding of the annual reporting requirements, many people successfully carry out the role without any accounting background.

Wade Hall explains the responsibilities of a Property Manager, what the Family Court expects, and why good record-keeping is the key to successfully managing someone else's financial affairs.

https://lnkd.in/ePiUWue7

18/09/2026

It was a privilege for Michael Stephens (Partner) and Elsa Xiao (Solicitor) to represent Rainey Collins at the Wellington Beijing Forum on New Quality Productive Forces, hosted by the Wellington City Council on 3 September as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Wellington-Beijing sister city relationship.

The Forum brought together local government representatives, business leaders, and innovators from the Haidian District of Beijing and Wellington to discuss opportunities for collaboration across technology innovation including AI applications, robotics and agri-tech, sustainability, and trade sectors.

We appreciated the opportunity to hear from a range of speakers, and look forward to helping strengthen the connections and future of international business and innovation between the two capital cities.

18/09/2026

Many lifestyle villages are marketed to people aged 50 and over. However, a recent arbitration decision highlights that age-based occupancy restrictions are not always enforceable and, in some cases, may amount to unlawful discrimination.

In this article, our Claire Tyler examines when age restrictions may fall outside the protections available under the Human Rights Act 1993, and why developers, body corporates, and management companies should carefully consider the legality of such rules before seeking to enforce them.

https://www.raineycollins.co.nz/your-resources/articles/2-9-26-age-restrictions-in-lifestyle-villages---when-can-they-be-illegal-discrimination

17/09/2026

A successful outcome does not always mean every cost is recovered. If you take a matter to the Disputes Tribunal and win, can you require the other party to reimburse your filing fee?

Rachel Collins explores the answer and outlines the Tribunal's discretion when dealing with filing costs.

https://www.raineycollins.co.nz/your-resources/articles/19-8-26-recovering-filing-costs-in-the-disputes-tribunal-when-your-claim-is-successful

15/09/2026

When a company goes into receivership or liquidation, who should suppliers invoice and who is entitled to payment?

The answer is not always straightforward. Understanding the distinction between receivership and liquidation can be critical for protecting your position as a creditor and ensuring invoices are directed to the correct party.

In this article, Alan Knowsley outlines the key differences and explains who receives the benefit of payments made during each process.

https://www.raineycollins.co.nz/your-resources/articles/16-9-26-invoicing-during-a-receivership-or-liquidation-who-gets-the-money

14/09/2026

Rainey Collins Consultant Alan Knowsley attended the Camp Quality Winter Camp for children living with cancer from the lower half of the North Island. This years’ camp was held at El Rancho in Waikanae from 28-30 August. 28 children plus 18 adult volunteers attended.

The weather was kind and the kids (10-14yrs) enjoyed clay modelling, archery, axe throwing, bridge building over a stream, horse riding, mud run, water slide, games evening, marshmallow roasting over a fire pit, mini golf and dodge ball.

All the outdoor activities were kindly sponsored by El Rancho which was much appreciated as Camp Quality relies entirely on donations and grants.

The kids were able to have fun being kids and forgetting about their cancer treatment and their parents got a break too. Lots of smiles and resilience building over the weekend.

We thank everyone who helped put the camp together.

10/09/2026

For many years Rainey Collins has been honoured to represent kaapoo Maaori (blind, vision-impaired and deafblind Maaori) as they brought their claim through the Waitangi Tribunal. The Kaapoo Maaori Claimants took part in the Wai 2575 Health Inquiry with a claim focused on the failures of the health and disability system for kaapoo Maaori.

The Tribunal has recently released Hauwhaikaha – The Disability System Report which made a number of findings of Crown breaches of the principles of te Tiriti o Waitangi and recommendations for the future.

This report is a testament to the tireless mahi of our claimants: the late Maaka Tibble, Kaapoo Maaori Aotearoa, the wider kaapoo Maaori community, and Kahurangi Fergusson-Tibble. We look forward to continuing to work together to progress the Kaapoo Maaori claim and strive for meaningful change for kaapoo Maaori in Aotearoa.

https://www.raineycollins.co.nz/your-resources/articles/9-9-26-nothing-about-us-without-us

20/08/2026

The Supreme Court in Kea Investments Ltd v Wikeley [2026] NZSC 97 reinstated permanent worldwide anti-suit and anti-enforcement injunctions in relation to a Kentucky default judgment obtained by fraud, preventing it from being enforced, relied on, or litigated anywhere in the world.

Guy Goodwin and Raiyan Azmi

https://www.raineycollins.co.nz/your-resources/articles/13-8-26--kea-v-wikeley-global-anti-suit-and-anti-enforcement-injunctions-reinstated

Address

Level 14, 318 Lambton Quay
Wellington
6011

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5pm
Friday	8:30am - 5pm

Website

https://www.raineycollins.co.nz/

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