Richard Hargreaves

Partner

Insurance

Recognised in Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2024.

T +64 3 379 7622 M +64 220 685 218 richard.hargreaves@wynnwilliams.co.nz

Specialist areas of practice

Insurance law
Professional indemnity
General Liability

Originally from the UK, Richard joined Wynn Williams in 2012. He is a respected litigator with experience across all insurance lines. Richard’s particular focus is on professional indemnity and general liability defence work. He also advises on complex property claims including fires.

Richard is known for his work defending professionals such as lawyers, architects, real estate agents, brokers and engineers under their professional indemnity policies, operating in the Law Society complaints process and civil courts. Richard is very experienced in advising/defending pre-purchase inspectors and regulated trades. His expertise and national profile are recognised in the Legal 500, Chambers directory, and by NZ Lawyer and Insurance Business NZ magazine.

Known as a fair operator, Richard’s standing often allows pragmatic solutions to be reached quickly. Where no negotiated solution is possible, he is an experienced and effective advocate.

Insight

Real estate agent complaints up 43% in 2023-24

The latest REA Annual Report reveals a sharp 41% increase in complaints, rising from 252 in 2023 to 361 in 2024. While factors like increased property transactions, eased lending conditions, and public willingness to report minor issues may have contributed, the rise appears to reflect broader trends rather than a decline in industry standards.

Insight

Basic rules about landslips

Landslips aren’t a new phenomenon in New Zealand. But there have been catastrophic numbers of landslides in the past few weeks and they may become more common in the future. Here are some basic legal rules concerning landslips. Insurance law Christchurch.

Insight

Personal liability of building inspectors

There is currently a trend amongst plaintiffs to commence proceedings against building inspectors personally in defective building cases. This is only appropriate in very specific circumstances. A 'normal' situation, by way of example, is this: a purchaser wants to buy a house. They employ an inspector (a builder or specific pre-purchase inspection company) to look around the house and prepare a report. This is usually to satisfy the builders inspection condition in the standard-form sale and purchase agreement. The report says that the house is in good condition. The purchasers buy the house and discover that it leaks.

Insight

Real estate agent complaints at an all-time low

Every year, the Real Estate Authority publishes complaints data for the industry. The statistics from the July 2021 to June 2022 reporting year were released earlier this week and show that only 271 formal complaints were made to the REA last year. This is down from a high of 564 in 2015/16.

Insight

Assessing professional negligence

Wynn Williams defends professional advisers accused of negligence in various fields, protecting clients from potential losses

Insight

The ‘mere conduit’ defence – passing on vendor’s documents to purchasers

Real estate agents often seek to add value, help purchasers, or try to maximise the good features of a property, but they need to be very careful when making absolute assurances to purchasers even when there are reports which support their position. A recent case shows that the mere conduit defence continues to be very useful when a claim is made.

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Undue influence – always more difficult to prove in commercial contexts

Duress is making someone do something by threat or coercion. But there is an ancient line of cases concerning more subtle means of dishonestly taking advantage

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A lawyer’s duty of respect and courtesy

Lawyers in most jurisdictions have obligations to behave professionally and treat others with courtesy and respect. A barrister in London was recently found to have breached these obligations due to her behaviour in court.

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Fair and reasonable fees

A lawyer’s obligation to charge fair and reasonable fees goes beyond just looking at the total figure. To avoid “bill shock,” there should be a no surprises relationship with clients, so communication is key.

Insight

Natural Hazards Insurance Bill

Parliament has introduced the Natural Hazards Insurance Bill, which will replace the Earthquake Commission Act 1993 and overhaul EQC.

Insight

Insurance Contracts Bill 101

When I began practising insurance law in New Zealand back in 2012, it was apparent that the legal framework was a bit haphazard. This wasn’t a new criticism, even ten years ago.

Richard Hargreaves