The Auckland firm reflects on its history and future as it reaches centenary milestone
Auckland firm Gaze Burt is marking its 100th anniversary in 2026, reaching a milestone that traces the firm's history from the establishment of two separate practices in the early twentieth century to its current position as a full-service firm serving clients across New Zealand.
According to the firm, its origins date to the 1920s and 1930s when lawyers Noel Gaze and James Burt established separate legal practices in Auckland. The firm said both founders' Christian faith influenced the values and operations of their respective practices.
Following the founders' deaths in the 1960s, their sons, David Burt and Stuart Gaze, assumed leadership positions within the firms. In 1987, the practices, then known as Gaze, Bond, Munn & Allen and Burt, Moodie, Goold & Francis, merged to form Gaze Burt after more than 60 years of close legal association and friendship.
“They were woven together with a third strand of their strong faith,” Director Michael Bright said. “These foundations of faith and threads of relationship live on at Gaze Burt today. Whether we’re advising a business owner, supporting a family through an estate matter, or helping a church or charity navigate compliance, our values remain the same: Prioritise relationships, provide quality legal expertise, and act with justice and integrity.”
The has operated through a range of significant events during its history, including the Great Depression, the Second World War, economic disruptions in the 1970s and 1980s, the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Director Kimberly Knox identified the firm's most significant challenge as a major financial fraud committed by a partner in the 1990s. According to the firm, approximately 63 clients suffered losses totalling $1.9 million.
Knox said the firm's partners arranged for independent legal representation for affected clients and encouraged them to pursue claims against the firm through a formal process. She said that after an insurance shortfall, the partners repaid the outstanding losses to clients from their own funds.
“This seven-year period was financially and personally gruelling for the partners, but that decision to do the right thing became a defining moment for us,” Knox said. “These hard-learned lessons forged in crisis have stayed with the firm to this day and continue to guide our decision to do the right thing, even when it is costly or difficult, and we’re incredibly grateful to continue to serve.”
Director Rachael Jhinku said the firm views legal practice as a means of helping clients manage relationships and resolve disputes. She said the firm's work includes assisting families, businesses, churches and charities on legal matters ranging from estate planning to compliance issues.
“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,” Jhinku said.
Knox also pointed to changes in legal practice over the past century, including the transition from handwritten and typewritten documents to digital systems, cloud-based storage and artificial intelligence-assisted drafting.
“While technology will continue to enhance our work and allow us to focus on what’s important, it can never replace human relationships — and at its core the legal profession remains profoundly human,” Knox said.
As the firm enters its second century, it intends to continue investing in the development of younger lawyers while maintaining the principles that have shaped its practice since its founding.
“In a world where real justice can feel distant, and our legal system is increasingly complex, our prayer is that we continue to see law differently for another hundred years — not merely as a mechanism but as a ministry of facilitating good human relationships,” Bright said.
