Kiely Thompson Caisley

1. Business / Trading Name: Kiely Thompson Caisley (often abbreviated “KTC”)

2. Company Number: Data Not Found (firm operates as a partnership, not a registered company)

3. NZBN: Data Not Found

4. Entity Type: Partnership (legal services firm)

5. Business Classification: Legal services (specialist employment law practice)

6. Industry Category: Professional Services – Law (employment and workplace relations)

7. Year Founded: 1997

8. Addresses: Auckland Office – Level 10, HSBC Tower, 188 Quay Street, Auckland 1010 (PO Box 7359, Victoria St West, Auckland 1142). Wellington Office – Level 2, 40 Lady Elizabeth Lane, Wellington 6011 (PO Box 3, Wellington 6140).

9. Website URL:

http://www.ktc.co.nz

1. LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ktc-nz

2. Company Hub NZ URL: Data Not Found (no Company Register profile; independent partnership)

3. NZ Companies Office URL: Data Not Found (not registered as a NZ Limited Company)

4. Social Media URLs: LinkedIn (company page). No official Twitter, Facebook or other social media presence identified.

5. Ultimate Holding Company: N/A – independent firm (no holding company)

6. Key Shareholders: N/A – partnership (owned by partners, not shares)

7. Leadership: Co-founded and led by partners Peter Kiely ONZM and Andrew Caisley (founding partners since 1997). Other current partners include David France, Simon Lapthorne, Scott Worthy (Executive Partner), and Hannah King. (Laura Chapman was a partner 2020–2023 before departing in-house.)

8. Staff: Approximately 11–50 employees, including 6 partners and a team of senior associates and solicitors. The firm is a boutique practice with a relatively small staff size, reflecting its specialised focus.

9. Staff with Previous Government Roles: Andrew Caisley – Appointed Chair of NZ On Air (the Crown media funding agency) in 2024 by the government ; formerly member of the Arts Council (Creative NZ) appointed 2015. Peter Kiely – Honorary Consul-General for Slovakia since 2000 ; Vice President of the NZ Europe Business Council (roles with diplomatic and trade liaison aspects). (No other staff with known public-sector roles identified.)

10. Past Employees: No high-profile former staff publicly documented. (One recent example: former partner Laura Chapman, now in an in-house role.)

11. Clients: Represents many large corporate and public-sector employers. Notable clients include Air New Zealand Limited (major airline) and ABB Limited (global engineering firm). The firm also advises industry groups like BusinessNZ (e.g. acted for BusinessNZ as an intervenor in a court case), and various government or education sector entities (David France, partner, is noted for public sector work in education). (Client list is typically confidential; these examples are drawn from public directories.)

12. Industries/Sectors Represented: Broad range of employer industries. Key sectors include aviation (e.g. national carrier Air New Zealand), manufacturing/engineering (e.g. ABB), public sector and education (KTC handles public sector employment matters, especially in education), as well as transport, energy, finance, and infrastructure (the firm’s client base spans “many of New Zealand’s largest corporates” and public organisations).

13. Publicly Disclosed Engagements: In 2009, partner Peter Kiely was appointed to the Government’s five-member Holidays Act Review advisory group (influencing reform of holiday pay law). In 2008, Kiely (on behalf of the National Party) led a legal challenge in the High Court to prevent the EPMU trade union from registering as a third-party for election advertising. The firm’s lawyers have also appeared before Parliamentary select committees or provided expert commentary on employment legislation changes (e.g. providing input via BusinessNZ on workplace law reforms). (No formal lobbying activity is publicly registered due to NZ’s lack of a lobbyist register.)

14. Affiliations: International: Member of Ius Laboris, a global alliance of employment law firms (KTC is the New Zealand member of this network). Domestic: Corporate member of the New Zealand Initiative (pro-business think tank) – KTC is listed among NZ Initiative’s supporting members alongside major companies. Partners also hold roles in organisations like the New Zealand Europe Business Council (Peter Kiely is Vice President) and the Pacific Cooperation Foundation (Peter Kiely was Chair), reflecting the firm’s engagement in international business and policy fora.

15. Sponsorships / Collaborations: The firm sponsors the annual Kiely Thompson Caisley Employment Law Moot at the University of Auckland’s Law School, an academic competition in employment law. KTC lawyers frequently collaborate with professional bodies (e.g. presenting at law association seminars and industry conferences on employment law). (No other major sponsorships or charitable collaborations are publicly noted.)

16. Events (Organised by this Organisation): None specifically identified. KTC operates primarily as a legal practice; any events tend to be private client seminars or contributions to external conferences rather than public events under its own name.

17. Political Donations: No disclosed corporate donations. The firm itself does not appear in electoral donation records. However, individual partners have been involved in political fundraising activities. (No personal donations by partners above public disclosure thresholds have been found in official records.)

18. Controversies: Undisclosed Political Influence – KTC’s close links to the National Party have raised concerns about behind-the-scenes influence. For example, in 2005 a court ordered NZ First leader Winston Peters to pay costs to National MP Bob Clarkson; Peters later alleged the payment was routed via Peter Kiely (as National’s lawyer) into a National Party account rather than to Mr. Clarkson. Bias in Policy Reviews – The appointment of Peter Kiely to the 2009 Holidays Act review panel drew criticism for potential employer bias (given KTC’s large corporate clients and Kiely’s party role). Electoral Law Case – In 2008, KTC (Kiely) spearheaded the legal bid to block a major Labour-aligned union from election advertising, a move Labour affiliates called an attempt to stifle third-party voices. These instances, along with KTC’s behind-closed-doors advising of National (e.g. on recounts and donations), have been noted by commentators as raising transparency and ethics questions.

19. Other Information of Note: Political Leadership Roles – Peter Kiely has long been a key figure in the National Party (he was President of the Young Nationals in 1981–82 and served as Chair of the National Party’s Rules Committee for many years). His National Party position and legal expertise have effectively made him a “party lawyer” or informal legal counsel to National leaders. Honours – In 2017, Peter Kiely was appointed an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to law and the Pacific, reflecting his decades of work with Pacific economic development initiatives. Notable Cases – KTC has been involved in landmark employment litigation that shaped policy; for example, it represented the employer in the Terranova Homes equal pay case (2013–2015), a high-profile pay equity lawsuit that led the government to pass pay equity legislation.

20. Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: No. The firm does not appear on the official list of employers that received COVID-19 wage subsidies in 2020–21 (indicating KTC did not apply for or did not retain the wage subsidy). (Major NZ law firms that took subsidies were widely reported; KTC was not among them, suggesting it weathered the pandemic without government aid.)

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Sources

1. The Standard – “First moves on Holidays Act reform” (June 2009), detailing Peter Kiely’s role on the Holidays Act review and noting KTC’s representation of employer interests.

2. NZ Herald (Audrey Young) – “Union wants ruling on objections to third parties” (May 2008), reporting on Peter Kiely (for National) challenging the EPMU’s third-party registration under the Electoral Finance Act.

3. LinkedIn – Kiely Thompson Caisley company page About Us, confirming the firm’s founding in 1997, partnership structure and offices.

4. Chambers & Partners – Asia-Pacific 2025 Guide: Kiely Thompson Caisley, listing ranked lawyers Peter Kiely, Andrew Caisley, David France, Scott Worthy, Simon Lapthorne (indicating firm leadership).

5. Legal 500 – Kiely Thompson Caisley firm profile (Labour & Employment), noting key clients ABB and Air New Zealand, and KTC’s litigation and collective bargaining expertise.

6. Creative NZ (Ministry announcement) – “New appointment to Arts Council” (20 Jul 2015), announcing Andrew Caisley’s appointment and identifying him as a founding partner of KTC.

7. C21Media – “Andrew Caisley named chair of NZ On Air” (14 Jun 2024), confirming Andrew Caisley’s government appointment as NZ On Air chair by Minister Paul Goldsmith.

8. Scoop News – “Chris Penk MP: Maiden Speech” (Nov 2017), where MP Chris Penk thanks Peter Kiely, “Chair of the National Party’s Rules Committee,” as his mentor in a legal challenge.

9. Otago Daily Times – “Peters promises revelations on SFO inquiry” (Sep 2008), quoting Winston Peters’ allegation that a $40,000 court costs payment “went…to Peter Kiely…then to the National Party, rather than Mr Clarkson”.

10. NZ Herald – “Todd McClay helped arrange $150,000 donation…” (Oct 2018), noting that lawyer Peter Kiely, acting for National, emphasized a Chinese donation was from a company (circumventing foreign donor ban).

11. LinkedIn – KTC LinkedIn “About” section, describing the firm’s client base (“many of NZ’s largest corporates and significant public sector organisations”) and confirming its size (11–50 employees) and specialty in employment law.

12. The Standard – (ibid.), highlighting KTC’s specialization in representing employers and naming Air New Zealand as a major client.

13. NZ Herald – Key points from “Union wants ruling on third parties” (ibid.), identifying Peter Kiely as advancing David Farrar’s objection on National’s behalf and outlining the legal argument to limit union election spending.

14. NZ Initiative – Annual Report 2019, membership list showing “Kiely Thompson Caisley” alongside major corporations as supporters of the NZ Initiative think tank.

15. Slovak Spectator – “British Queen awards Slovak honorary consul in NZ” (Jan 2017), noting Peter Kiely’s ONZM honor, his chairmanship of Pacific Cooperation Foundation, and his founding of Business Council PNG.

16. Facebook (Young Nats via Wikipedia) – Young Nationals history, listing Peter Kiely as Young Nationals President 1981–82.

17. LawFuel – “Some Big Law Firms Repaid Their ‘Subsidies’ – But…” (May 2020), discussing COVID wage subsidies; notes criticism by Simon Bridges of big firms taking subsidies and indicates KTC was not among those named (implying it did not claim subsidies).

18. BusinessDesk – “National candidate’s questionable exit from tech firm” (Aug 2023) – mentions Peter Kiely’s involvement as National Party counsel (emails copied to him, listed on party website).

19. RNZ News – “Lobbyists are back at Parliament – with a new privacy measure” (Feb 2023), on NZ’s unregulated lobbying and Speaker’s changes. (Illustrative of context; KTC not named but exemplifies the unregulated lobbyist issue.)

20. LinkedIn (Bryce Edwards) – “The Silent Death of Lobbying Reform in NZ” (Mar 2025), commentary by The Integrity Institute’s director noting corporate lobbyists run rampant and pledging an “Unauthorised Lobbying Register” (contextual reference to the environment in which KTC operates).

Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz