About Wakatipu Chambers

I am a former prosecutor who lived in Australia for nearly 30 years before returning to New Zealand. I have more than 25 years' experience in criminal law and as a specialist family violence prosecutor, and I have instructed in hundreds of trials and thousands of sentences across the full range of criminal offences and family law issues.

I ran a law firm in New South Wales for 10 years before returning to Queenstown — the place where I grew up — and founding Wakatipu Chambers at 36 Shotover Street. From chambers I attend to criminal law, family law, immigration and family protection matters across New Zealand, with online video consultations available nationwide. I still hold a practice certificate in New South Wales and can assist with work in Australia if required.

My practice focuses on family law, family protection and criminal defence representation, with a background as a Family Protection Act estate litigation lawyer. I take on difficult relationship breakdowns, relationship property matters, and family, criminal and Will challenge matters. I also apply for visas on behalf of clients to both New Zealand and Australia. Appointments can be conducted online or in person.

As a solicitor (admitted in May 1995), I was always keen to put my hand up for any insurance work in Wanaka / Queenstown. In fact, shortly after I moved to the Bar in Auckland as a Barrister (in July 2006) I made a bold decision to buy a small place in central Queenstown.

So, I feel like I have been a pseudo–Central Otago “local” since 2007 and I was thrilled to be invited to be a founding member of Wakatipu Chambers in central Queenstown from August 2026. I am available in Auckland (Britomart) — and now in Queenstown — to accept briefs from solicitors and law firms for most Court matters and to mediate disputes, if required, as a commercial mediator (qualified in Sydney, NSW, 2008).

I am a civil and criminal (regulatory) defence lawyer, but as a barrister, I am regularly asked to help clients, insureds and Directors & Officers with a range of legal, prosecution, “Enforceable Undertaking”, plea mitigation and risk management work.

Primarily, I am engaged to work with insurers and insureds facing serious (usually fatal) accidents, accident and incident investigations, prosecutions, trials and Coronial Inquiries & Inquests. Typical files might involve Police, SCU, WorkSafe NZ, Maritime NZ and MPI (animal welfare) or local council (RMA) investigations — all with the potential for criminal convictions and trials. Coronial matters tend to follow after these primary regulatory investigations too and I do a lot of work with Motorsports and tracks.

Commercially, I do a range of Civil, contract and construction (and leaky home / WHRS) work in most Courts.

For a sample of some of my regulatory trials — please review the case base on my main website: www.brettharris.co.nz, including numerous successful regulatory trials.

Apart from my interest in Central Otago wine & food, I am a member of the NZ Bar Association, the Law Association of NZ (TLANZ), the NZ Insurance Law Association (NZILA) and an International member of the Australian Dispute Resolution Association (ADRA).