Brad Cuff
Brad is an experienced barrister based in Wellington, New Zealand, with over 25 years of expertise in complex civil litigation, insurance disputes, and regulatory defence across common law jurisdictions (New Zealand and Australia).
Admitted as a solicitor and barrister in New Zealand since 2010 (and as a solicitor in Australia since 2003), he joined the independent bar in July 2020 after serving as a Litigation Partner at DLA Piper New Zealand.
Brad has handled over 100 earthquake-related claims (primarily from the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence) for New Zealand and international insurers, alongside numerous weather-related disaster matters including rural fires, flooding, landslides, and sea level/coastal erosion. His specialist practice covers post-disaster recovery, policy declinatures, defective repairs, indemnity disputes, and allegations of fraud, dishonesty, or recklessness. His international in-house background in Sydney includes managing cross-border insurance portfolios for global insurers, and multi-jurisdictional risk management and compliance programs.
Brad appears regularly in New Zealand's District Court, High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, Human Rights Review Tribunal, and Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal (CEIT). He has successfully defended numerous WorkSafe and Commerce Commission prosecutions, and specialises in complex disputed first party insurance claims, defective repair disputes, professional negligence, and disciplinary matters involving dishonesty, fraud, or recklessness.
Insurance and Advisory Expertise
Brad provides specialist advisory services to insurers, brokers, policyholders, and corporates on:
Insurance policy interpretation — In-depth analysis and drafting of policy wording, exclusions, and indemnity provisions.
Claims indemnity and coverage advice — Comprehensive evaluation of insuring clause triggers, exclusions, and policy conditions including the effect of dishonesty.
Policy drafting and review skills — Practical review, redrafting, and risk-mitigation advice on wordings to ensure regulatory compliance, minimise litigation exposure (including fraud/dishonesty risks), and align with commercial objectives and current case law; informed by in-house leadership of legal/risk teams for major insurers.
Defective repair, dishonesty, fraud, and recklessness matters — Advising and litigating on post-disaster repair quality issues (e.g., inadequate or substandard earthquake remediation leading to further claims); defending/pursuing allegations of policyholder dishonesty, fraudulent claims, reckless conduct, or deliberate acts in declinature disputes arising from fire claims.