Nathanael Starrenburg

Nathanael Starrenburg
Director

Nathanael specialises in domestic and cross-border public and private mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets and listed company compliance and corporate governance.

Nathanael is one of New Zealand’s leading public takeover lawyers (both takeover bids under the Takeovers Code and schemes of arrangement). He co-leads the firm’s public takeovers practice and has advised on some of the most notable transactions under the Takeovers Code, including the highest value public takeover and highest value takeover-by-scheme in New Zealand corporate history.

Nathanael was appointed to the Takeovers Panel, the regulator of public takeovers in New Zealand, in 2016. He was also a member of the regulatory working group of the Capital Markets 2029 Taskforce (an industry review of New Zealand's capital markets initiated by NZX and the Financial Markets Authority).

Recognition

Nathanael is recognised as a ‘leading individual’ for Corporate/M&A by Asia Pacific Legal 500 (which has described him as an “intelligent, commercial as well as pragmatic” lawyer who “finds ways to do things others say you can’t”).  He is also ranked for Corporate/Commercial by Chambers Global and Chambers Asia Pacific (which describes him as “a very commercially astute lawyer who offers good, pragmatic advice”), is recommended as a ‘distinguished practitioner’ for Corporate/M&A by Asia Law Profiles and as ‘highly regarded’ for M&A and Private Equity by IFLR1000. 

Nathanael was a finalist for New Zealand Dealmaker of the Year at the 2022 and at the 2021 Australasian Law Awards and he was also named as one of only eight ‘top’ corporate lawyers in New Zealand in the New Zealand Herald’s 2022 Power List. 

Over the last eight years, Nathanael has been the lead legal adviser on 14 transactions that have been nominated for, or won, transaction awards at the New Zealand Law Awards (including in the M&A Deal of the Year, International Deal of the Year, Equity Market Deal of the Year and Mid-Market Deal of the Year categories). 

Governance and other roles

Nathanael is a member of the Takeovers Panel, the government body responsible for regulating public takeovers in New Zealand.  He is also a trustee of the Laidlaw College Foundation, an endowment fund for a private tertiary training institution – with a multi-million dollar investment portfolio and substantial land holdings. Nathanael is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.

Recent disclosable matters: 
1

Advised NZX/ASX dual-listed Pushpay Holdings Limited on a NZ$1.63 billion takeover of the company by scheme of arrangement by a bid consortium comprising BGH Capital and Sixth Street

2

Advised Powering Australia Renewables (a consortium comprising Australia’s Future Fund, Queensland Investment Corporation and ASX listed AGL Energy) on its $3.05 billion consortium acquisition, together with Mercury NZ, of NZX / ASX dual listed Tilt Renewables by scheme-of-arrangement

3

Advised Talley’s Group on its successful full takeover offer for the remaining shares in Open Country Dairy, which valued that company at $533 million

4

Advised NZX (the operator of the New Zealand Stock exchange) on its strategic investment in Global Dairy Trade (the leading global physical trading platform for dairy commodities) and on its related strategic partnership with SGX to list dairy derivatives on SGX’s derivatives market

5

Advised NZX / ASX dual listed Pushpay Holdings on three separate $100 million, $98 million and $40 million underwritten block trades by founders and directors of the company, as well as a number of capital raisings undertaken by the company including a A$54 million institutional placement in connection with obtaining an ASX foreign exempt listing

6

Advised NZX listed Abano Healthcare Group on two announced takeovers-by-scheme of arrangement by a bid consortium comprising BGH Capital and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan

7

Advised ASX listed Centuria Capital Group as a placement participant and sub-underwriter of a $45 million placement and Accelerated Non-Renounceable Entitlement Offer by NZX listed Augusta Capital and on its subsequent successful $172 million cash and scrip takeover offer for Augusta Capital

8

Advised NZX / ASX dual listed Restaurant Brands on its response to a $884 million 75% partial cash takeover offer by Finaccess Capital

Intelligent, commercial as well as pragmatic” lawyer who “finds ways to do things others say you can’t.

- Asia Pacific Legal 500