Dentons Kensington Swan
• Business / Trading Name: Dentons Kensington Swan (formerly known as Kensington Swan prior to 2020)
• Company Number: 2157824
• NZBN: 9429032633146
• Entity Type: New Zealand Limited Company (serving as a holding/service company for the Dentons Kensington Swan partnership established in 2020)
• Business Classification: Legal services (commercial law practice in litigation, property, construction, financial, employment, public and corporate law)
• Industry Category: Professional Services – Law (full-service commercial law firm)
• Year Founded: 1986 (firm formed via mergers; predecessor firms date back to 1878) (Dentons formally associated with Kensington Swan in February 2020)
• Addresses:
• Auckland Office: 18 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland 1010 (Private Bag 92101, Auckland 1142)
• Wellington Office: Level 4, 40 Bowen Street, Wellington 6011 (PO Box 10246, Wellington 6140)
• Christchurch Office: Westpac Building, 79–81 Cashel Street, Christchurch 8011 (DX SP26517)
• Website URL:
https://www.dentons.co.nz
(Dentons Kensington Swan local site)
• LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dentons-new-zealand/ (Dentons New Zealand official LinkedIn page)
• Company Hub NZ URL: https://www.companyhub.nz/companyDetails.cfm?nzbn=9429032633146
(CompanyHub profile for Kensington Swan Holdings Ltd)
• NZ Companies Office URL: https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/co/2157824 (NZ Companies Office record link for Kensington Swan Holdings Ltd)
• Social Media URLs:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DentonsNZ/
• Twitter (X): twitter.com/DentonsNZ
(Dentons KS also appears on Dentons’ global YouTube and Instagram accounts, though no NZ-specific channels are prominent.)
• Ultimate Holding Company: None (Dentons’ global firm is a Swiss verein and has no ownership stake)
David Campbell & Hayden Wilson (50%)
David Campbell (25%)
Hayden Wilson (25%)
• Leadership:
NZ Board is made up of four elected partners:
Hayden Wilson - Chair of the Board & Partner
Greg Cain - Partner
Jenni Rutter - Partner
Hayley Miller - Partner
Charles Spillane - Chief Executive Officer
Matthew Fleming - Chief Financial Officer
Paul Conaghan - Director of ICT and Operations
Pippa Grey - Business Development Director
Emma Gibbins - HR Director.
• Staff: Approximately 200–250 staff in total, including about 113 lawyers (as of 2019) and dozens of partners. The firm’s employee count places it in the 201–500 range, making it one of New Zealand’s larger law firms.
• Staff with Previous Government Roles:
• Linda Clark – Partner (Wellington), former political editor for TVNZ (high-profile press gallery journalist); has also served as a government-appointed reviewer (led an independent review for ACC in 2021).
• Charles Spillane – CEO, appointed Board Member of the Civil Aviation Authority (government regulatory agency) in 2019; formerly General Counsel at state-controlled Auckland International Airport.
(No former Ministers or MPs are on staff, but several partners have been public sector lawyers or advisors in their careers.)
• Past Employees:
• Clayton Kimpton – Former Kensington Swan Managing Partner (2006–2010); later joined the New Zealand government as a Trade Commissioner and NZTE Regional Director (for India, Middle East & Africa). He also served as NZ’s Commissioner-General to World Expo 2020, exemplifying the transition from firm leadership to government roles.
• Tim Clarke – Former Kensington Swan partner (public law); now a partner at Russell McVeagh. Clarke is noted as one of NZ’s most influential lobbyist-lawyers, having leveraged his Kensington Swan experience and network in advising governments and corporates.
• Clients: Public sector – Major government agencies such as Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (Dentons KS has advised on virtually every significant state highway project since 2004), the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC, e.g. engaged Dentons KS for an independent review of privacy issues), various central government departments (e.g. Ministry of Transport, Department of Internal Affairs, Department of Conservation), state-owned enterprises (e.g. Airways NZ board advisory) and local councils (the firm’s lawyers have conducted inquiries for councils and written legal opinions on council matters). Private sector – A wide range of industries including technology (e.g. acted for Red Moki Ltd in its sale to EY in 2022), food & consumer goods (e.g. represented Barilla, the Italian pasta company, in NZ trade mark proceedings), healthcare (e.g. counsel to Fertility Associates in a major ownership transaction), infrastructure and construction firms, banks and financial institutions, energy companies, and iwi/business ventures. The firm’s client roster spans many of New Zealand’s key sectors, often representing large corporates, industry associations, and government entities.
• Industries/Sectors Represented: Government & Public Sector (extensive public law, regulatory and infrastructure work); Financial Markets and Services (banking, investment and fintech clients); Infrastructure & Construction (major transport, housing and PPP projects); Education (schools, universities and education sector agencies); Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and Manufacturing (advising manufacturers, distributors and retailers); Healthcare (hospitals, health boards, insurers, pharma, including specialist health law via the 2024 Claro integration); Energy and Natural Resources (power companies, utilities, environmental regulation); Technology and IP (IT firms, IP portfolio management for brands). Dentons KS is known as a full-service firm, so it covers virtually all major industry sectors through specialised teams.
• Publicly Disclosed Engagements: The firm’s influence activities are occasionally documented in public records. For example, Dentons KS submits on legislation and policy: it made a submission to Parliament on the Privacy Bill overhaul, has filed submissions on financial sector regulation with MBIE, and on climate-related disclosure rules with the External Reporting Board. Its partners also appear in official proceedings – e.g. Linda Clark’s role leading an independent review for ACC was publicly announced by ACC, and partner Greg Cain briefed a Crown entity board (Airways NZ) on legal responsibilities as recorded in OIA-released minutes. In local government, a Dentons KS legal opinion letter regarding a Mayor’s conduct became public via a council code of conduct process. However, much of the firm’s lobbying or advisory work for clients is behind closed doors and not publicly disclosed (since NZ has no mandatory lobbying register).
• Affiliations: Dentons Kensington Swan is the New Zealand member of Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, as part of Dentons’ polycentric verein structure (formal combination in 2020). It is an active member of business and industry groups – for instance, it is a formal “Supporting Partner” of the Auckland Business Chamber (providing legal sponsorship alongside entities like ACC and Callaghan Innovation). The firm is certified under the Toitū carbon zero programme for sustainability commitments. Dentons KS lawyers are involved in professional bodies (Law Society committees, etc.) and the firm maintains relationships with industry associations (e.g. Society of Construction Law via conference sponsorships). It also collaborates with academia and think-tanks on legal research and hosts joint events (e.g. occasionally partnering with universities on seminars).
• Sponsorships / Collaborations: The firm actively sponsors events and organisations to bolster its profile. It was the “Premier Partner” sponsor of the 2021 In-House Lawyers Association (ILANZ) national conference, and a Platinum Sponsor of the International Society of Construction Law Conference 2020 in Auckland (sponsoring the keynote by a UK judge). Dentons KS has an ongoing collaboration with Glaucoma NZ as a provider of pro bono legal advice, and in 2023 the firm selected the “Save the Kiwi” wildlife conservation initiative as its flagship pro bono cause to support. In the arts, it partnered with the Auckland Theatre Company – “Dentons Kensington Swan presents Back on the Boards” – a special 2020 theatre festival supporting the post-lockdown return of live theatre.
• Events (Organised or Hosted): Dentons KS regularly organises client seminars, panel discussions and networking events, often focused on law and policy changes (e.g. briefings on new legislation such as employment law reforms or infrastructure financing). The firm’s Public Law team has hosted roundtables on regulatory developments, and its partners frequently lead workshops at legal conferences. Dentons KS also runs an annual Corporate Governance symposium for clients and contributes to events run by BusinessNZ and local Chambers of Commerce. These events, while not always publicly advertised, are a key part of the firm’s influence strategy, bringing together business leaders and policymakers in informal settings.
• Political Donations: The firm does not appear in New Zealand’s political donation disclosures for major parties. (Notably, during COVID-19 the firm also refrained from taking the government wage subsidy, underscoring a cautious approach to public funds involvement.) Any political engagement tends to be through advisory roles rather than monetary donations.
• Controversies: Dentons Kensington Swan has largely avoided public scandal, but it operates in the grey area of unregistered lobbying which has drawn criticisms of opacity. Transparency advocates point out that big law firms like Dentons KS can exert influence on policy “behind closed doors” without the disclosures required of registered lobbyists. The firm’s dual role – acting for private clients while also seconding lawyers onto government projects and boards – has raised conflict of interest questions at times. For example, while CEO Charles Spillane sits on the CAA(Civil Aviation Authority) board, his firm could conceivably be seeking CAA legal work.
• Other Information of Note: Dentons Kensington Swan formally combined with Dentons’ global network in 2020, a move that expanded its international reach but did not change its local ownership. In 2024, the firm acquired Claro (a boutique health law firm), integrating a team of health sector specialists and bolstering Dentons KS’s presence in government health policy circles. The firm prides itself on a strong pro bono ethos (e.g. providing free legal advice to small businesses during COVID lockdowns) and on diversity initiatives (it was an early adopter of gender-equity policies among NZ law firms). Dentons KS also weathered the 2020 pandemic without layoffs or pay cuts – a fact noted in the press – which helped preserve its influence capacity. With offices now in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Dentons KS continues to pursue strategic growth, such as targeting government infrastructure projects under post-COVID recovery plans. As of 2025, the firm and its partners are frequently quoted in media as experts on regulatory issues, reinforcing their role as influential commentators as well as behind-the-scenes advisors.
Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz