10 Questions with Principal Peter Sygrove

One of our new Principals, Peter Sygrove, with his daughter Sage, introduces himself and talks taking on partnership in the middle of a lockdown.

Who's in your bubble?

Virtually all the space in our home is taken up by the smallest person – our 18 month old girl. The rest I share with my beautiful partner Juliette.

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Wellington. Great spot. It’s not even that windy. Ok fine it’s pretty windy.

Why Queenstown?

I’ve come from a large national firm background, specialising in real estate, overseas investment, commercial leasing and construction law. Queenstown offers fantastic opportunities to be part of exciting projects in these specialty areas, including with adventure tourism, tourism infrastructure, property development and large scale construction and commercial retail projects. The scenery and outdoor activities aren’t too shabby either. While studying at Otago I managed to get over to Queenstown or Wanaka most winter weekends and since then I’ve always wanted to give it a crack living here. And it’s the best place in NZ to raise a family!

What do you do outside of work?

Snowboarding in the winter, often with my twin brother Jimmy who has also made the move down south. There’s a fair amount of competition there… I hold the downhill speed record up Remarks and look forward to your challenge for the crown this winter, Jimmy.

Why law?

I like helping people work through difficult issues and come to practical solutions. Enabling people to execute their plans as simply as possible. Commercial law is about partnering with people to help them put some sound structures in place to support growth and pull off ideas.

Biggest challenge you faced in 2019?

We were greeted on our arrival to Queenstown in January to a hailstorm, which Juliette, being from the Far North, wasn’t particularly pleased with. After overcoming that hurdle, the rest of the year was comparatively easy.

What is one word to describe you?

Innovative

Why would you want to go into partnership now, given the uncertainty we’re all facing in response to COVID-19?

Like the rest of the region, our business will be hugely affected by COVID-19. Possibly forever changed. What will be the major challenges to our business, our profession and our economy? Are we prepared to face those challenges? Can we quickly and effectively adapt in this new and changing market?

For me it came back to a question of fundamentals. We have a fantastic, enthusiastic and highly talented team who pride themselves on being first-class lawyers. We have incredible, loyal clients. We have a strong presence in the region and pride ourselves on getting involved in the community. As a team we are forward-thinking and dynamic, and well placed to tackle future issues.

So in the end, the decision was an easy one. It’s in times like these that our team can show its true colours in supporting businesses in our community. I’m proud to be a part of that team.

For those of you who I haven’t met me, please feel free to get in touch on +64274449928 or peter@toddandwalker.com, or pop into our offices at 5 Mile for a visit once we’re back to a semblance of normality! (and after I’ve visited a barber).