Private practice: Peter spent 22 years as a lawyer in private practice in New Zealand and England, ten of them as a partner in the Auckland office of Phillips Fox (now DLA Piper). His practice as a specialist in commercial property and commercial law included acting for a number of institutions and corporate entities involved in large scale property and infrastructure development projects.
Law firm management: From 1996 to 2002 Peter held management roles within Phillips Fox New Zealand and Australia. These included the role as the management partner for the Auckland office, responsible for the operations of that office and its key client relationships. During 2002 he was responsible for the management of the New Zealand operations of Phillips Fox which comprised 30 partners and staff of 150. During this period Peter was part of on integrated management team for the New Zealand and Australian operations of Phillips Fox.
Legal team management: From September 2002 to July 2005 Peter was part of the senior management team at Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu in Christchurch, managing a team responsible for legal, policy and political strategy issues. From August 2005 to June 2006, in a secondment role Peter managed the legal team at Rodney District Council.
Management consultant: From August 2005 to January 2011 Peter was a principal of GCL Consulting Limited a specialist legal services management consultancy. That practice undertook a wide range of projects relating to the delivery of professional services, procurement strategy and processes and legal risk for a number of local government and central government entities. In February 2011 Peter established Lodestone Consulting Limited a specialist management consultancy that is focused on the local government and central government sectors.
Governance: From 2006-2008 Peter was a director of Ngāti Ruanui Holdings Corporation Limited and Ngāti Ruanui Development Corporation Limited.
Memberships: Institute of Directors; Associate member of the New Zealand Law Society; Corporate Lawyers Association of New Zealand.