Ian Hunt.

An introduction

 

I commenced practice as a barrister in April 2025, after nearly 37 years with Young Hunter Lawyers, over 30 of them as a partner.

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I graduated from the University of Canterbury in 1983 and was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in 1984.  After commencing practice in Invercargill, I worked in London before returning to Christchurch and joining Young Hunter, becoming a partner in 1992. During a sabbatical in the UK 1997 – 1999, I practised in Oxford and Reading, obtained a Post Graduate Certificate in Sports Law from King’s College, London in 1998 and was admitted as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales in 1999.

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I have has regularly appeared in the District Court, Employment Court, Environment Court, High
Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.  I also have extensive experience in mediation and arbitration and have appeared before the international Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand, the Employment Relations Authority and the Human Rights Review Tribunal. I am a contributing editor of Brookers Personal Injury in New Zealand and have consistently been recognised by Best Lawyers in New Zealand as a leading lawyer in the fields of insurance law and sports law, and by Chambers & Partners Asia- Pacific Guide for Sports Law.

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I am active within the legal community and wider community, with particular interests in governance, sport and professional discipline. I am currently a member of a number of international sporting tribunals and adjudication panels including: the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS); the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal; Sport Resolutions International Panel; the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Anti-Doping Committee; the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Ethics Committee; and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Standing Panel. I am a member of the World Aquatics ad hoc Legal Committee, and a member of the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand Legal Assistance Panel.

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I was a director of HPSNZ (High Performance Sport New Zealand) from 2015 – 2021 and a director of Snow Sports NZ from September 2022 - May 2024. I was the President of ANZSLA (Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association) from 2007 – 2012, a director of Swimming New Zealand from 2012 – 2014, and a member of the FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation) Ethics Panel from 2013 – 2017.  I was the President of Broken River Ski Club from 2011 – 2017, and I have been an Association Commissioner for New Zealand Cricket since 2002.

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Recent international sports adjudication appointments have included chair of a World Sailing Independent Panel; Chair of the Federation Court Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games; member of the 2022 Rugby League World Cup ad hoc Panel; member of the Independent Tribunal for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in 2022, 2023 and 2024; member of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Standing Panel for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games; and member, World Sailing Independent Ad Hoc Disciplinary Panel (2024).

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I have been a member of the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal since 2019. I was the Convenor of a New Zealand Law Society Standards Committee from 2008 – 2017 and a member of the Canterbury District Law Society Complaints Committee from 2003 – 2008.

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My specialist areas :​

• Corporate governance/Company and commercial

• Employment

• Insurance

• Litigation and dispute resolution

• Health Law and ACC

• Professional discipline

• Sport

• Trusts and estates

Engagement

I will accept engagement through your existing lawyer, or I am able to arrange a specific brief with another firm to be identified and agreed with you.

In some instances, I can take instructions directly, particularly for opinions, including arbitral or determination roles, and non-dispute advice.