Gary Hughes

Barrister, Akarana Chambers

Gary is a leading independent Barrister in New Zealand, specialising in regulatory investigations and proceedings, advocacy and risk management/compliance advice.

He has over two decades’ experience representing clients dealing with New Zealand’s Financial Markets Authority, Serious Fraud Office, Commerce Commission, Department of Internal Affairs, Privacy Commission, and Reserve Bank. Helping FinTech firms grapple with old-world regulations has become a specialty of his legal practice.

Regarded as New Zealand’s most experienced Anti-Money Laundering lawyer, Gary has worked in this field since 2007. As well as all three NZ AML Supervisors, and the Police Financial Intelligence Unit, he also deals with cases involving the Cook Islands, Tonga, and AUSTRAC in Australia.

Gary is the author of the online textbook AML/CFT Workflows & Guidance for Lawyers (Thomson Reuters Westlaw, 2018).  His expert pro-bono roles include as NZ Law Society delegate to the Ministry of Justice tranche 2 AML reforms, Advisory Director to ACAMS Australasia, and Chair of the Anti-Money Laundering & Sanctions expert sub-committee for the International Bar Association.

Gary is based in Auckland, but frequently works with trans-Tasman clients and Australian solicitor firms or in-house counsel. You can find out more at his personal website.