Three competing firms launch a joint campaign to promote Western Bay of Plenty as a hub for complex legal work
Competing Tauranga law firms have joined forces in a coordinated campaign to attract lawyers to the Western Bay of Plenty amid a growing shortage of experienced legal talent.
Cooney Lees Morgan, Sharp Tudhope, and Holland Beckett have partnered with economic development agency Priority One on "Redefining Legal," a recruitment initiative delivered through the Work Life Tauranga talent attraction platform.
The campaign promotes Tauranga and the Western Bay as a destination for lawyers seeking complex work alongside lifestyle benefits.
Rather than highlighting individual firms, it markets the city's legal sector as a whole to candidates across New Zealand and overseas.
"Law firms naturally compete, but the challenge of attracting experienced legal talent is bigger than any single firm," said Cooney Lees Morgan partner Campbell Izzard.
"By working together, we can better highlight the depth of legal work happening in Tauranga and the opportunities the region offers for lawyers looking to build a meaningful career."
Priority One's Work Life Tauranga platform is designed to build its regional reputation as an attractive place for skilled talent within New Zealand by digitally showcasing industry, career, and lifestyle opportunities.
The Redefining Legal campaign uses that infrastructure to target specific legal talent profiles nationally and internationally.
Holland Beckett people and culture manager Danielle Brownlie said the collaboration is intended to showcase both the scale and quality of work available in the region.
"The Western Bay of Plenty offers lawyers the opportunity to work on significant matters while enjoying a quality of life that is hard to match," Brownlie said.
"Collaborating on this initiative allows us to show the scale of our offering and the options available in the region, helping to attract the legal talent our growing economy needs."
The participating firms say demand for experienced lawyers is rising faster than the available national talent pool, making joint efforts to attract candidates more effective than competing against each other.
Tauranga-based lawyers serve sectors including infrastructure development, agribusiness, logistics, property, technology, and export businesses. They are also involved in complex commercial, property, and infrastructure projects.
"Tauranga's economy is evolving quickly, and the legal work here reflects that," said Sharp Tudhope HR manager Grant Davidson.
Work Life Tauranga project manager Meg Davis said the legal initiative is part of a broader shift in how the region approaches workforce attraction.
"The legal sector campaign is about positioning Tauranga as a serious professional destination. We know talented people are looking for meaningful work and a place where they can build a life. Tauranga offers both," she said.
