Gaze Burt

24/09/2026

Law as Right Relationship 🙏🙏

As we reflect on 100 years of Gaze Burt, we’ve been asking ourselves what law ultimately means to us.

At its heart, Gaze Burt has always seen law as guiding good human relationships and seeking justice.

At a fundamental level, real justice is the biblical notion of ‘shalom’ which is focused on right-relationship.

Director Rachael Jhinku proudly displays thank you cards from families whose relationships have been reconciled through guided legal expertise. For her, these cards hold immeasurably more value than any award.

“As long as people need help navigating human relations, good lawyers have an important role, not just to resolve disputes, but to restore relationships,”

This view of law, not as a weapon but as a tool for relationship, shapes everything we do. We look first for the pathway that preserves dignity and fairness between parties and use litigation only as a last resort.

Read our full centenary blog in the comments below.

31/08/2026

Seeing Law Differently: What do we mean?

As we reflect on 100 years of Gaze Burt, we’ve been asking how we are different from other firms.

Our tagline, “We see law differently” is intentionally open-ended and designed to provoke curiosity. It encourages us to regularly reflect on our distinct identity, and how this is worked out practically day-to-day.

We know we see law differently when:

✔ Faith guides our practice.
Every directors’ meeting begins with prayer for our team and clients, seeking their best interests.

✔ We pursue justice with integrity.
We ensure quality legal expertise to achieve justice. This doesn’t necessarily mean aggressive and adversarial litigation, as there’s often a better way to achieve justice while preserving relationships.

✔ Relationship comes before revenue.
We critically review our performance to ensure fees are fair and reasonable, because relationships matter more than transactions. We employ mums and dads in director roles and promote flexible hours and support for parents, because relationships outside of work are just as important and nourish us to be our best at work.

Read our full centenary blog in the comments below.

24/08/2026

Why Your Lawyer Needs Your ID: A Simple Guide to AML/CFT Checks.

Have you ever wondered why your lawyer asks for your passport, bank statements, and proof of address before they can even start working on your file❓

It is because all lawyers and law firms play a key role in New Zealand’s fight against international financial crime.

Lawyer, Ross Summerton, explains AML in further detail below. See comments for link to the article.

10/08/2026

Integrity forged in trial, and signs of God’s faithfulness 🌈✟

Over the last 100 years, our reputation for upholding our Christian values didn’t just come naturally. It was hard won, tried and tested over a century during the Great Depression, World War Two, the oil crisis and inflation of the 1970s, recession in the 1980s, the global financial crisis in the 2000s, and the global pandemic of 2020.

But our values were most tested in the 1990s, when a major financial fraud by a partner left dozens of innocent clients out of pocket. The easy option would have been to walk away. Instead, our partners chose transparency and accountability, repaying every cent owed.

In the midst of this difficult period, former partner David Munn looked out of an office window and saw a rainbow stretching across the sky, something he felt was a divine reassurance, that they were not alone and that God was with them. This moment became a symbol for the partners that the path of integrity they were walking would ultimately prevail.

Read our full centenary blog below. Link in the comments.

22/07/2026

Built on Faith, Lived Out Daily

Few law firms can trace a continuous thread of Christian ownership and values across a full century—Yet that doesn’t necessarily mean we are any better or worse. The difference comes with how our Christian faith and values are outworked in practice, one day at a time, over 100 years.

Two firms founded in the 1920s and 30s by Noel Gaze and James Burt merged in the1980s to become Gaze Burt, building upon a legacy and reputation for professional integrity, excellence, and service where faith was lived out day by day, decision by decision.

That foundation continues to shape how we practise law today:

✔ Relationships first
✔ Justice and integrity
✔ Expertise and quality

Read our full centenary blog in the comments below.

16/06/2026

16/06/2026

Seeing Law Differently: 100 Years of Gaze Burt ⚖️

Times were very different when Gaze Burt began in the 1920s.

Trams ran up and down Queen Street, few people owned cars, and those who did most likely drove a Ford Model T. The country was enduring the Great Depression, pubs closed at 6pm, and the fashion was Gatsby-era flapper dresses👗

As we reflect on our beginning and celebrate 100 years of Gaze Burt, we wish to thank our clients, colleagues, and communities who have walked alongside us for generations.

Read our full centenary blog - link in comments.

24/12/2025

Merry Christmas from the directors and team at Gaze Burt.

Director Michael Hockly shares his customary Christmas message with us here - on gratitude.

Our offices are now shut for the holiday season. We're back to business as usual from Monday 12 January.

We are soon to celebrate Christmas. As Christians we will be expressing our gratitude to God for the birth of his son Jesus.