Anna Ryan Barrister

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I am a commercial barrister specialising in Commerce Act and Fair Trading Act matters. I am a Franchise Association of New Zealand member, and advise franchisors and franchisees nationwide on competition, compliance, and regulatory issues, including cartel laws and unfair contract terms.

Specialist barrister Anna Ryan brings competition and consumer law expertise to New Zealand’s franchise sector

Franchising is built on collaboration. Franchisors and franchisees share systems, information, suppliers, marketing strategies and a common brand. But with that collaboration come competition law considerations that are not always obvious.

For franchisors and franchisees, questions can arise around:

• What information can be shared between businesses in a franchise network?
• In what circumstances can franchised territories give rise to compliance concerns?
• When does legitimate collaboration become a competition law concern?
• How should a franchisor approach a network-wide pricing strategy?
• What happens when competitors want to work together, or when the Commerce Commission begins asking questions?

These are the kinds of issues where specialist advice can make a real difference.

Anna Ryan is a commercial barrister based at Canterbury Chambers in Christchurch, specialising in competition and consumer law. She holds a Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne in Competition and Consumer Protection Law and spent a decade leading Lane Neave’s national competition and consumer law team.

Today, Anna advises clients throughout New Zealand on complex competition and consumer law matters, including cartel conduct and statutory exceptions, competitor collaboration, merger control, misuse of market power and Commerce Commission investigations.

Why competition law matters to franchise systems

Franchise networks present unique competition law compliance issues. Businesses operate independently but are connected through a common brand, business model and set of contractual and operational relationships.

Franchisees may attend meetings together, share experiences and discuss market conditions. Franchisors may provide guidance on pricing, suppliers, marketing and operations. These activities are an important part of a successful franchise system, but they can also carry compliance risk that isn’t always obvious. 

Anna has particular expertise in cartel law, including issues involving price-fixing, market allocation and restrictions on output. She provides practical advice to help franchisors and franchisees understand what is permitted, identify potential risks and make informed commercial decisions.

Advice before a problem arises

Breaches of the Commerce Act carry very stiff penalties, up to and including imprisonment in cases of wilful offending.  Accordingly, it pays to be proactive about competition law compliance.  

Anna advises franchisors on proposed arrangements, competitor collaborations, cartel conduct and compliance, and can help businesses develop a better understanding of their obligations.

She also regularly advises clients involved in Commerce Commission investigations, providing specialist legal advice and advocacy when businesses are under regulatory scrutiny.

Her approach combines deep legal expertise with an understanding of the commercial realities facing businesses.

A specialist focus

Anna completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Canterbury, obtaining an LLB with First Class Honours and a BA in English, before completing her Master of Laws at the University of Melbourne.

She is a long-standing member and immediate past Chair of the Advisory Board of the Competition Law and Policy Institute of New Zealand. She also serves on the Canterbury Branch of the New Zealand Law Society and chairs the board of the Dr Patricia Champion Charitable Trust.

For franchisors and franchisees, Anna offers a clear point of difference: competition and consumer law is at the centre of her practice.

Anna Ryan is a specialist competition and consumer law barrister based at Canterbury Chambers in Christchurch. She advises clients throughout New Zealand.