Matthew Harris

Profile

Matthew’s practice encompasses most areas of civil and commercial litigation, including company and contract, class actions, insurance and professional liability, construction, and property.  He has conducted numerous trials and appeals as sole or lead counsel.  Recent testimonials in the legal directories have noted that Matthew “impresses with the practical nature of his advice and the overall quality of any interaction” and that he is “a persuasive advocate on his feet and in correspondence”.


In recent years, Matthew has acted for Sir Owen Glenn’s Kea Investments Ltd in a major, ongoing multinational fraud case; for SkyCity in respect of matters arising from the New Zealand International Convention Centre project; for Jones Lang La Salle in a claim for recovery of a substantial commission; for the trustees of the Marlborough Electric Power Trust in proceedings testing the new statutory trusts information regime; and for property owners, consultants and contractors in claims for defective construction.


Matthew is recognised for his expertise in insurance (property, professional indemnity, general liability, and statutory liability) and professional liability. He advises on indemnity and represents a wide range of insureds in civil proceedings and in regulatory and professional conduct inquiries. He acted in dozens of proceedings arising out of the Canterbury earthquakes.


Matthew has a particular expertise in class actions. He has acted for The A2 Milk Company Ltd in a shareholder class action; for a product distributor in a proposed class action over so-called “combustible” cladding; and for the directors in the second stage of the Feltex shareholder class action (Houghton v Saunders).


Matthew practised at Gilbert Walker for over 16 years before joining chambers and spent nearly a decade working at Clifford Chance and Davis Polk in London and at Covington & Burling in Washington, DC.  He began his career as a Judges’ Clerk for the Rt Hon Dame Sian Elias (among others) before taking his LLM at New York University as a Fulbright Scholar and Hauser Global Scholar.


Matthew is a member of the NZLS Litigation Skills Faculty, a member of the NZLS Law Reform Committee, and a member of a NZLS Standards Committee. He is a regular presenter of seminars to the profession.


Outside his legal practice, Matthew is a parent representative on a secondary school board of trustees, the Chair of a charitable trust that awards choral and organ scholarships at Holy Trinity Cathedral, and a sponsor of a law school scholarships programme (Te Kuhunga).

Profile

Matthew’s practice encompasses most areas of civil and commercial litigation, including company and contract, class actions, insurance and professional liability, construction, and property.  He has conducted numerous trials and appeals as sole or lead counsel.  Recent testimonials in the legal directories have noted that Matthew “impresses with the practical nature of his advice and the overall quality of any interaction” and that he is “a persuasive advocate on his feet and in correspondence”.


In recent years, Matthew has acted for Sir Owen Glenn’s Kea Investments Ltd in a major, ongoing multinational fraud case; for SkyCity in respect of matters arising from the New Zealand International Convention Centre project; for Jones Lang La Salle in a claim for recovery of a substantial commission; for the trustees of the Marlborough Electric Power Trust in proceedings testing the new statutory trusts information regime; and for property owners, consultants and contractors in claims for defective construction.


Matthew is recognised for his expertise in insurance (property, professional indemnity, general liability, and statutory liability) and professional liability. He advises on indemnity and represents a wide range of insureds in civil proceedings and in regulatory and professional conduct inquiries. He acted in dozens of proceedings arising out of the Canterbury earthquakes.


Matthew has a particular expertise in class actions. He has acted for The A2 Milk Company Ltd in a shareholder class action; for a product distributor in a proposed class action over so-called “combustible” cladding; and for the directors in the second stage of the Feltex shareholder class action (Houghton v Saunders).


Matthew practised at Gilbert Walker for over 16 years before joining chambers and spent nearly a decade working at Clifford Chance and Davis Polk in London and at Covington & Burling in Washington, DC.  He began his career as a Judges’ Clerk for the Rt Hon Dame Sian Elias (among others) before taking his LLM at New York University as a Fulbright Scholar and Hauser Global Scholar.


Matthew is a member of the NZLS Litigation Skills Faculty, a member of the NZLS Law Reform Committee, and a member of a NZLS Standards Committee. He is a regular presenter of seminars to the profession.


Outside his legal practice, Matthew is a parent representative on a secondary school board of trustees, the Chair of a charitable trust that awards choral and organ scholarships at Holy Trinity Cathedral, and a sponsor of a law school scholarships programme (Te Kuhunga).

Profile

Matthew’s practice encompasses most areas of civil and commercial litigation, including company and contract, class actions, insurance and professional liability, construction, and property.  He has conducted numerous trials and appeals as sole or lead counsel.  Recent testimonials in the legal directories have noted that Matthew “impresses with the practical nature of his advice and the overall quality of any interaction” and that he is “a persuasive advocate on his feet and in correspondence”.


In recent years, Matthew has acted for Sir Owen Glenn’s Kea Investments Ltd in a major, ongoing multinational fraud case; for SkyCity in respect of matters arising from the New Zealand International Convention Centre project; for Jones Lang La Salle in a claim for recovery of a substantial commission; for the trustees of the Marlborough Electric Power Trust in proceedings testing the new statutory trusts information regime; and for property owners, consultants and contractors in claims for defective construction.


Matthew is recognised for his expertise in insurance (property, professional indemnity, general liability, and statutory liability) and professional liability. He advises on indemnity and represents a wide range of insureds in civil proceedings and in regulatory and professional conduct inquiries. He acted in dozens of proceedings arising out of the Canterbury earthquakes.


Matthew has a particular expertise in class actions. He has acted for The A2 Milk Company Ltd in a shareholder class action; for a product distributor in a proposed class action over so-called “combustible” cladding; and for the directors in the second stage of the Feltex shareholder class action (Houghton v Saunders).


Matthew practised at Gilbert Walker for over 16 years before joining chambers and spent nearly a decade working at Clifford Chance and Davis Polk in London and at Covington & Burling in Washington, DC.  He began his career as a Judges’ Clerk for the Rt Hon Dame Sian Elias (among others) before taking his LLM at New York University as a Fulbright Scholar and Hauser Global Scholar.


Matthew is a member of the NZLS Litigation Skills Faculty, a member of the NZLS Law Reform Committee, and a member of a NZLS Standards Committee. He is a regular presenter of seminars to the profession.


Outside his legal practice, Matthew is a parent representative on a secondary school board of trustees, the Chair of a charitable trust that awards choral and organ scholarships at Holy Trinity Cathedral, and a sponsor of a law school scholarships programme (Te Kuhunga).

Additional information

Qualifications

BA/LLB (Hons) (Auckland) (1997)

LLM (NYU) (1999)

Admissions: New Zealand (1997), New York (2000), England and Wales (2001); Barrister sole (2023)

Matthew
Harris
mharris@shortlandchambers.co.nz
64 21 765 204
64 9 307 9821
Shortland Chambers