Jess Fitzgerald
Associate
tel:+6479272756
mailto:jess.fitzgerald@hobec.co.nz
Qualifications
- LLB, BA, Victoria University of Wellington 2013
- Admitted to the Bar in New Zealand 2014
Community Activity
- Tauranga Chamber of Commerce Board Member
Contact
- DDI: +64 7 927 2756
- M: +64 27 231 9124
- E: jess.fitzgerald@hobec.co.nz
Jess is an Associate in Holland Beckett’s corporate and commercial team.
Jess advises on a wide range of corporate and commercial law matters, with a particular focus on M&A transactions, private equity and start-ups.
Prior to re-joining Holland Beckett in 2018, Jess worked in-house at a technology start-up in Vancouver, Canada primarily working on the company’s equity and debt financing rounds. She enjoyed providing pragmatic and results focused advice within the business, and has carried those skills into private practice. Jess also has an interest in non-contentious trade mark work.
Outside of work, Jess enjoys travelling, surfing, fishing and spending time in the outdoors with friends and family.
Jess Fitzgerald's Expertise
Jess Fitzgerald's News & Resources
Port of Tauranga and consortium partners acquisition of Marsden Maritime Holdings
Holland Beckett’s corporate and finance team is advising long-term client the Port of Tauranga and its consortium partners, Northland Regional Council and the Ngāpuhi Investment Fund Tupu Tonu, in relation to the acquisition and take private of listed port company, Marsden Maritime Holdings.
Subject to a scheme of arrangement being successfully completed, the consortium will acquire the minority shareholding interests in Marsden Maritime Holdings. Marsden Maritime Holdings would then be delisted from the NZX. This deal will bring Northport under a single ownership umbrella, helping to secure financial sustainability, deliver on development strategy and future-proof Marsden Point.
Led by Partner Ken Hawkes, our corporate and finance team advised Port of Tauranga and its consortium partners in relation to the transaction, which was publicly announced on 25 February 2025.
Read The New Zealand Herald article here: Northport scheme: Marsden agrees to new deal with consortium for acquisition of shares
Robotics Plus acquisition by Japan’s Yamaha Motor Company
Our corporate and finance team is proud to have advised local robotics company and long-time client Robotics Plus through its recent acquisition by Japan’s Yamaha Motor Company.
Partner Ken Hawkes has worked with Robotics Plus founders Steven Saunders and Dr Alistair Scarfe for over 10 years through their journey of development and innovation, to this major milestone.
Robotics Plus is a true local success story. The Tauranga based company develops and produces robot vehicles to improve orchard efficiencies, such as the flagship ‘Prospr multi-use autonomous vehicle’. Identifying a need for such products in the horticulture industry early on, the company has grown from strength to strength, with the acquisition by Yamaha Motor Company paving the way for further international expansion and the scaling up of manufacturing.
Holland Beckett’s corporate and finance team advised Robotics Plus on the acquisition supported by the employment and commercial teams.
Read The New Zealand Herald article here: Yamaha buys Tauranga’s Robotics Plus, unveils big plans
Read Robotics Plus release here: Robotics Plus acquisition by Yamaha Motor to enable precision agriculture for growers
Financial Markets Act 2013
Introduction
The new Financial Markets Conduct Act (“Act”) has changed the way in which disclosure in the financial markets sector is made, and to whom. Disclosure requirements were previously scattered throughout legislation and case law and it was often difficult to work out which investors required disclosure. This article provides a brief overview of the changes around disclosure. These should make it easier to determine when disclosure is required and may be particularly helpful for small businesses seeking to raise capital, but minimise compliance costs.
Key Changes
Disclosure is required if an offer is a “regulated offer”. An offer is a regulated offer if one person to whom the offer is made requires disclosure. If everyone to whom an offer is made does not require disclosure, an offer is not a regulated offer. This means that for the same offer, disclosure may be required to some investors, but not others. If an offer is regulated, disclosure is made through a product disclosure statement (“PDS”) and an online registry. The form and content of the PDS is heavily prescribed by regulations but generally the PDS will contain a key summary, with further content sitting behind it. Continuous disclosure is required through an online registry. This should help keep compliance costs down. Previously, if disclosure was not made to an individual to whom disclosure should have been made, the offer was void. Now failure to make disclosure to one party does not void all of the offers made, just that individual one.
Exclusions
If you are a small business looking to raise capital you may not need to go to lengths of disclosure. There are a number of investors who are excluded from disclosure requirements. Generally, disclosure is not required where investors are:
sophisticated enough to access relevant information; or
have a sufficiently close relationship to the issuer to enable them to access the information.
The broad exclusions are:
Wholesale investors.
Close business associates.
Relatives.
Small offers.
Some of these exclusions are carried through from the existing legislation and are now defined more clearly. Some exclusions are new, designed to create more flexibility. The “wholesale investor” covers most of those people who were considered “habitual investors” with some additions. Wholesale investors now includes “eligible investors” which allows an investor to “self-certify” that they are exempt from requiring disclosure. The certification requirements differ slightly depending on the type of financial product, but generally a person needs to certify that they have sufficient experience to assess the merits of the offer, and that they understand the consequences. A lawyer, accountant or financial advisor needs to confirm the certification. Another new exclusion is “small offers” for equity or debt securities. Disclosure is not required where the following circumstances apply:
The number of persons does not exceed 20 in any 12 month period;
The amount raised does not exceed $2 million in any 12 month period; and
The offer may only be accepted by a person who is “likely to be interested” in the offer OR who has an annual gross income of over $200,000 in the last two income years OR who are controlled by that person.
Conclusion
You should always obtain advice as to whether or not disclosure is required before making an offer. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about disclosure and your obligations. We would be happy to provide assistance.