BACKGROUND

Kahungunu Barron-Afeaki C.R.H., S.C. holds the awards of a Commander of the Royal Household (C.R.H.) and Senior Counsel (S.C.) in the Kingdom of Tonga - the equivalent of a Kings Counsel (K.C.). Barron-Afeaki S.C. has an LL.B and a BA (1st Class Honours) from Auckland University. He has 35 years experience as a practicing barrister in a wide field of profile and leading cases. Barron-Afeaki S.C. speaks three languages and was a doctoral candidate and will complete his thesis on the success of Polynesians in Sport, in the very near future.

Barron-Afeaki S.C. has attended to 750+ jury and judge alone trials and hearings. He brings a range of extensive field experience from the legal, geo-political and media arenas to provide a unique combination of skills to his legal and consultancy clients. His ability to resolve extremely complex challenges has witnessed numerous successful cases and clients. Barron-Afeakis’ extensive criminal trial and contract/commercial dealings have provided a unique edge in the geo-political consultancy sector.

Contract/Commercial Law

  • Civil / Commercial litigation, Strategic Advice 
  • Contracts, Sponsorship, Sport, Construction/Hotel Development, Employment
  • Shareholders & Partnership Disputes
  • Disciplinary Sports Tribunals, Mental Health Tribunal
  • Judicial Review, Injunctions
  • Defamation - Proceedings against News Publishers
  • Professional Negligence - Lawyers, Real Estate Agents, Accountants...

Geo-Political/Legal Consultancies

  • Kudu Spectrum Ltd (London) 2020 – Present – London based medical development – best performing rapid antigen test on the globe
  • Philip Morris International 2020 - Present – Fortune 500 company
  • Bioplant NZ 2021 – Present – recycling environmental invention - converts refuse to fuel & electricity
  • BBC millennium international broadcast 1999 – 2000
  • Royal Tongan Airlines 1991

 

Sports/Entertainment Law

  • 25+ years extensive, international, commercial experience, 176+ international sports contracts (for sport individuals & clubs) in sport/entertainment/commercial contractual/sponsorship law/management areas – resolution of complex media issues
  • Sample client/sport entities of note - Australia (Rugby League): Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders, Manly, Parramatta Eels, Cronulla Sharks, Auckland Warriors, England (League): St Helens, Wigan, Halifax, Leeds, Castleford, Bradford Bulls, Warrington and Wigan, England  (Rugby Union) London Irish, Sale, Saracens, London Irish, Richmond, Leicester, Sale, Saracens, Harlequins, Bath, Richmond, Bedford, Wasps  Japan: Secom, Sanyo, Toyota, Honda  Italy: Milan, Padova, Roma, Benetton Treviso Spain: Barcelona NZ: Auckland, Waikato, North Harbour, Canterbury and Wellington   

CRIMINAL LAW

  • Sample clients/cases of note - Fulivai v Crown 2021 (fraud, cross jurisdictional litigation, Paunga 1989 (Otara Shopping Centre Machete Murder), Richard Fruen 1991 (Grafton bridge manslaughter – insanity defence), Thompson 2002 (Armour Guard ‘inside job’ robbery), John Davy 2002 – 2003 (Maori TV, CEO - leading NZ case on CV qualification forgery), Sultan 2004 (largest passport forgery case in NZ history), Howe 2005 (‘samurai execution style’ double murder), Herewini 2005 (Auckland ‘Queen Street Fires’ - largest arson case in NZ history), Ulu’akiola 2006 (‘wife/provocation’ murder), Hamilton-Gates 2006 Operation Washworld – manufacturing class A drugs - unlawful search) - Tuhoe Lambert  2007 – 2011 Maori Terrorist Camps – Operation 8 (first terrorism case in NZ history) – SFO v Dougherty 2013 (Serious Fraud GST prosecution), Operation Ark 2014 (test case for analogue drugs), Fungavaka 2014-2015 (Kaitaia car murder case), SFO v Devoy 2016 (Mortgage fraud), FMA v Bublitz 2016-17 (multi-million dollar serious fraud, public guarantee companies) - Young 2017 (serious fraud case, Hamilton) - Operation Santana 2021- (20kg importation of meth during lockdown level 3, organized crime)   
  • Principal researcher & writer (secondment to Ministry of Justice, NZ) of the Pacific Island Crime Prevention Strategy for Auckland Region 2005 

Constitutional/Civil/Criminal Law – Kingdom of Tonga

  • Constitutional/Civil/Commercial litigation, Foreign Investment Advice, Mediation, Shareholders & Partnership Disputes, Professional Negligence, Defamation, Judicial Review, Injunctions
  • Sample clients/cases of note – Fuko electoral case 1993 (leading case on constituencies/residency/democratic voting), Fred Sevele (Prime Minister) vs Kele’a  2007- 2010 (6 x Kele’a Newspaper defamation case series – 6 x front page apologies in Kele’a), Warwick Hotel Project, Vava’u 2007 - (NZ$60 million foreign investment), Lomipeau Hotel Project, Tongatapu 2006 -  (NZ$160 million, four phase foreign investment project), Airlines Terminal Services 2007, Puataukanave Hotel, Vava’u 2008 - , Mala Island Resort, Vava’u 2006 – 2010, Former Minister of Transport, Paul Karalus, Royal Commission of Inquiry into Sinking of MV Princess Ashika Ferry 2009 – 2010 – judicial review (Court of Appeal) et alia, CA key finding; ‘no evidence in Report supporting Commission’s key claim that former Minister of Transport must have known of unseaworthy condition of vessel before it sank’, Lord Ma’afu 2009 (dismissal of threatening to kill charge), Lord Tu’iha’ateiho 2014 - 2015 (possession of firearm charge), R v Tupouniua Dec 2014 – 2015 (leading Court of Appeal case; elections/candidacy)

Royal Commissions of Inquiry

  • 2008 – 2012 Royal Land Commissioner, Tonga –– extensive 3 ½ year inquiries into land matters and RLC Report published 2012 – travel throughout Tonga islands, NZ, Australia, Singapore, USA and Hawaii
  • 2008 – 2012 Commissioner – Tonga Electricity Commission (national power regulator function) travel to NZ, Tonga, Singapore and Australia
  • 2009 - special legal advisor to Royal Uoleva Palace Commission of Enquiry (inquiry into the burning of the Uoleva Palace) - Tonga 2009                                                                                - 2010 legal counsel for Former Minister of Transport – Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Sinking of the MV Princess Ashika in Tonga (the worse sea disaster in recorded Tongan history) 

Contract/Commercial Law

  • Civil / Commercial litigation, Strategic Advice 
  • Contracts, Sponsorship, Sport, Construction/Hotel Development, Employment
  • Shareholders & Partnership Disputes
  • Disciplinary Sports Tribunals, Mental Health Tribunal
  • Judicial Review, Injunctions
  • Defamation - Proceedings against News Publishers
  • Professional Negligence - Lawyers, Real Estate Agents, Accountants...

Geo-Political/Legal Consultancies

  • Kudu Spectrum Ltd (London) 2020 – Present – London based medical development – best performing rapid antigen test on the globe
  • Bioplant NZ 2021 – Present – recycling environmental invention - converts refuse to fuel & electricity
  • BBC millennium international broadcast 1999 – 2000
  • Royal Tongan Airlines 1991
  • Sportsnet – UK based company – Acquisition of Sports Clubs/Entities in Australia, New Zealand & the Pacific Region

 

Sports/Entertainment Law

  • 25+ years extensive, international, commercial experience, 176+ international sports contracts (for sport individuals & clubs) in sport/entertainment/commercial contractual/sponsorship law/management areas – resolution of complex media issues
  • Sample client/sport entities of note - Australia (Rugby League): Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders, Manly, Parramatta Eels, Cronulla Sharks, Auckland Warriors, England (League): St Helens, Wigan, Halifax, Leeds, Castleford, Bradford Bulls, Warrington and Wigan, England  (Rugby Union) London Irish, Sale, Saracens, London Irish, Richmond, Leicester, Sale, Saracens, Harlequins, Bath, Richmond, Bedford, Wasps  Japan: Secom, Sanyo, Toyota, Honda  Italy: Milan, Padova, Roma, Benetton Treviso Spain: Barcelona NZ: Auckland, Waikato, North Harbour, Canterbury and Wellington   

CRIMINAL LAW

  • Sample clients/cases of note - Fulivai v Crown 2021 (fraud, cross jurisdictional litigation, Paunga 1989 (Otara Shopping Centre Machete Murder), Richard Fruen 1991 (Grafton bridge manslaughter – insanity defence), Thompson 2002 (Armour Guard ‘inside job’ robbery), John Davy 2002 – 2003 (Maori TV, CEO - leading NZ case on CV qualification forgery), Sultan 2004 (largest passport forgery case in NZ history), Howe 2005 (‘samurai execution style’ double murder), Herewini 2005 (Auckland ‘Queen Street Fires’ - largest arson case in NZ history), Ulu’akiola 2006 (‘wife/provocation’ murder), Hamilton-Gates 2006 Operation Washworld – manufacturing class A drugs - unlawful search) - Tuhoe Lambert  2007 – 2011 Maori Terrorist Camps – Operation 8 (first terrorism case in NZ history) – SFO v Dougherty 2013 (Serious Fraud GST prosecution), Operation Ark 2014 (test case for analogue drugs), Fungavaka 2014-2015 (Kaitaia car murder case), SFO v Devoy 2016 (Mortgage fraud), FMA v Bublitz 2016-17 (multi-million dollar serious fraud, public guarantee companies) - Young 2017 (serious fraud case, Hamilton) - Operation Santana 2021- (20kg importation of meth during lockdown level 3, organized crime)   
  • Principal researcher & writer (secondment to Ministry of Justice, NZ) of the Pacific Island Crime Prevention Strategy for Auckland Region 2005 

Constitutional/Civil/Criminal Law – Kingdom of Tonga

  • Constitutional/Civil/Commercial litigation, Foreign Investment Advice, Mediation, Shareholders & Partnership Disputes, Professional Negligence, Defamation, Judicial Review, Injunctions
  • Sample clients/cases of note – Fuko electoral case 1993 (leading case on constituencies/residency/democratic voting), Fred Sevele (Prime Minister) vs Kele’a  2007- 2010 (6 x Kele’a Newspaper defamation case series – 6 x front page apologies in Kele’a), Warwick Hotel Project, Vava’u 2007 - (NZ$60 million foreign investment), Lomipeau Hotel Project, Tongatapu 2006 -  (NZ$160 million, four phase foreign investment project), Airlines Terminal Services 2007, Puataukanave Hotel, Vava’u 2008 - , Mala Island Resort, Vava’u 2006 – 2010, Former Minister of Transport, Paul Karalus, Royal Commission of Inquiry into Sinking of MV Princess Ashika Ferry 2009 – 2010 – judicial review (Court of Appeal) et alia, CA key finding; ‘no evidence in Report supporting Commission’s key claim that former Minister of Transport must have known of unseaworthy condition of vessel before it sank’, Lord Ma’afu 2009 (dismissal of threatening to kill charge), Lord Tu’iha’ateiho 2014 - 2015 (possession of firearm charge), R v Tupouniua Dec 2014 – 2015 (leading Court of Appeal case; elections/candidacy)

Royal Commissions of Inquiry

  • 2008 – 2012 Royal Land Commissioner, Tonga –– extensive 3 ½ year inquiries into land matters and RLC Report published 2012 – travel throughout Tonga islands, NZ, Australia, Singapore, USA and Hawaii
  • 2008 – 2012 Commissioner – Tonga Electricity Commission (national power regulator function) travel to NZ, Tonga, Singapore and Australia
  • 2009 - special legal advisor to Royal Uoleva Palace Commission of Enquiry (inquiry into the burning of the Uoleva Palace) - Tonga 2009                                                                                - 2010 legal counsel for Former Minister of Transport – Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Sinking of the MV Princess Ashika in Tonga (the worse sea disaster in recorded Tongan history)