On 1 May 2026, a significant change to New Zealand’s Privacy Act 2020 took effect. The new information privacy principle 3A ...
NEW ZEALAND AI, CONTRACTING, PRIVACY, COPYRIGHT & LICENSING, PUBLIC LAW
For matters where law and tech intersect
Specialist NZ legal services in AI, government and commercial contracting, privacy, copyright and licensing, and public law — backed by 30 years of practice and the legal-tech I build alongside.
1996
ADMITTED TO HIGH COURT
4+
LEGAL-TECH PRODUCTS BUILT
Wellington
NATIONALLY ENGAGED
Practised
IN THREE COUNTRIES
CLIENTS
Government departments Crown entities Small-to-medium technology businesses Small-to-medium consulting businesses
Who I work with.
Two distinct audiences. Pick the one that sounds like you.
FOR AGENCIES & BUSINESSES
Need a specialist on an AI, contract, privacy, or procurement matter?
I work directly with public sector agencies, technology businesses, and growing companies on matters that require external support.
FOR LAWYERS WHO REFER
Have a matter or issue you need a hand with?
If you have a contracting, privacy, tech, AI or procurement question or job outside your usual practice, I'm happy to take a look. Clear scope, no fishing for your client.
Five practice areas.
One lawyer +
Specialist depth in each, with a strong technology thread running through them all. One lawyer deeply conversant in all areas, with the ability to bring in additional lawyers from Interwoven Law when needed.
01 / 05
Artificial intelligence
Contractual terms analysis, drafting of AI-related contract terms, IP and privacy implications, AI policies, AI impact assessments.
02 / 05
Procurement & contracting
Advice on planning, competitive processes, and drafting and negotiating government, cloud service and other commercial contracts.
03 / 05
Privacy & security
Privacy maturity assessment, privacy statements and data-sharing arrangements, PIAs, and general Privacy Act 2020 advice.
04 / 05
Copyright & open licensing
Managing copyright ownership and licensing contractually, open data licensing under NZGOAL, and open source software licensing.
05 / 05
Public law meets technology
Advice on public law issues – statutory powers, official information, delegations, judicial review – when they intersect with technology.
ABOUT RICHARD
Thirty years. Litigation, contracts, technology, public law, privacy law, AI.
I started in judicial review and commercial dispute resolution, moved into a public sector technology in-house counsel role in 2006, and have spent the last two decades working in a mix of in-house and external roles across all practice areas above. I have worked on technology projects ranging from government IT infrastructure and contracting of national significance through to innovative private sector SaaS solutions, all the while developing legal-tech solutions to make my practice more efficient. The combination: specialist external legal advice sharpened by 6 years' in-house counsel experience and deep understanding of underlying technologies.
Most of my clients are NZ public sector agencies, technology businesses, and growing consulting firms. I'm a founding member of Interwoven Law, which is an alliance of agile practices interwoven to better serve clients and a member of the Government's External Legal Services Panel.
AT A GLANCE
ADMITTED
1996
Barrister & solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand
PRACTISING AS
Sole practitioner
NZLS registered, professional indemnity insured
MEMBER OF
Interwoven Law
Alliance of specialist New Zealand lawyers
BASED
Wellington, Aotearoa NZ
Working remotely with clients across New Zealand
BUILT AND USED IN MY OWN PRACTICE
Some of the legal tech products I've built
Built to scratch my own itch and help others. The contract builders can rapidly accelerate the production of first drafts, the GravityMerge plugins enable WordPress users to do the same, StopLookGo Privacy helps people work through privacy issues, and Law of Course helps course creators launch in the confidence they're meeting legal requirements and are protected.
CF
MOST USED
Contract Foundry
Contact builders for MSAs, GMCs, MCAs, Inter-Agency MOUs, Information Sharing MOUs, Data Sharing MOUs, Letters of variation, Website terms of use, privacy statements, privacy clauses
02
GravityMerge
Document automation plugins for WordPress + Gravity Forms
03
StopLookGo Privacy
Tools to help agencies respect people's privacy.
04
Law of Course
5-Step Legal Plan and ebooks to help course creators protect their content and stay safe.
HOW I HELP
Let me help you get things done.
Most engagements fall into one of three categories. All can start with a 15-minute scoping call, no obligation.
IN THEIR WORDS
What clients actually say.
"
Richard has an incisive mind and is able to translate extremely complex commercial supply strategies into manageable contractual frameworks that both allow value to be provided and mitigate commercial risk.
Former Manager of AOG Supply Strategy
Department of Internal Affairs
"
I’ve worked with Richard a few times over the years, and have always valued his precision, insights, and all-round commitment to high-quality advice. He is outstanding in his understanding of personal information collection, use and sharing.
Danny Mollan
Former Engagement Lead, Data Protection and Use Policy, Social Wellbeing Agency
"
Richard stands out for his sharp legal brain, eloquence, communication skills, integrity, humility and reliability. He always delivered on time. Richard’s deep IT knowledge and application make him remarkably versatile.
Former Assistant General Counsel
Commerce Commission
Writing.
Notes from the practice -- AI, contracting, privacy, procurement, and the legal-tech I'm building
May 2025
The compliance notice The Privacy Commissioner has issued and published a compliance notice to Oranga Tamariki for what the Commissioner has ...
Transcript Background Are you in the habit of drafting or using information sharing memoranda of understanding or agreements to regulate the ...
I'VE ALSO WRITTEN AT
Four other blogs across my projects.
WP and Legal Stuff
Discussion of legal issues relevant to WordPress users and developers.
SELECT POST
StopLookGo Privacy
Tools to help agencies respect people's privacy.
SELECT POST
Law of Course
Discussion of issues that course creators may need to understand.
SELECT POST
SUBSCRIBE
Practical notes, in your inbox.
Artificial intelligence, technology contracting, procurement, privacy, and legal tech, written for agencies and businesses and those who advise them. No fluff, no spam, easy unsubscribe.
Your personal information will be handled in accordance with our privacy statement.
NO BOMBARDING OF YOUR INBOX - UNSUBSCRIBE IN ONE CLICK
Specialist legal services across government and commercial ICT contracting, privacy, AI, and public law -- backed by legal tech I build and use.
richard@richardbestlaw.com
+64 21 927 291
Richard is a founding member of Interwoven Law.
An alliance of agile practices interwoven to better serve clients.