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The numbers tell a brutal story. Only 7.2% of new practising certificates issued since July 2025 went to lawyers working in regional New Zealand NZ Herald, according to Law Society chief executive Katie Rusbatch.
The rest? Auckland, Wellington, or increasingly, across the Tasman where salaries dwarf anything Kiwi firms can offer.
The NZ Herald this week profiled Tauranga’s recruitment crisis, but let’s not think its anything other than a nationwide problem. The Bay of Plenty, after all, is one of the most attractive regions in the country where attractive regions abound.
All 13 Law Society branches reported recruitment challenges. Mid-level lawyers, the three-to-six PQE sweet spot that firms desperately need for partner leverage, are vanishing to Australia at rates “not seen before.”
Seek data showed job advertisements for legal services in the North Island outside Auckland and Wellington had grown 20.4% from February 2025 to February 2026. Demand is surging. Supply isn’t keeping pace.
As we reported here last month, three Bay of Plenty firms, Cooney Lees Morgan, Holland Beckett, and Sharp Tudhope banded together with economic development agency Priority One to launch “Redefining Legal,” a marketing campaign designed to sell regional practice to sceptical candidates. The pitch? Complex work rivalling anything in the main centres, genuine client contact from day one, and lifestyle advantages that Auckland’s gridlock can’t match.
Robert Walters data shows Tauranga typically pays 10% to 15% below Auckland levels, but local firms insist they’ll match city salaries for the right candidates. The real problem isn’t money. It’s perception. Too many lawyers assume regional practice means conveyancing and relationship property on repeat. The reality, say insiders, is different.
The Thomson Reuters 2026 Legal Market Report (covered in LawFuel’s analysis) flagged talent scarcity as one of five existential threats facing NZ firms — even as profits surged 16.5% and revenue hit pre-COVID highs. Regional practices are simply feeling the squeeze first. They won’t be the last.
