- Release Date: 02/02/12 19:01
- Summary: WAV/RULE: ARG: ARG - Application for Waiver from Listing Rules
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ARG 02/02/2012 17:01 WAV/RULE REL: 1701 HRS Argosy Property Trust WAV/RULE: ARG: ARG - Application for Waiver from Listing Rules NZX Markets Supervision Decision Argosy Property Trust Application for Waiver from Listing Rules 9.2, 7.6.5, 8.3.1, 5.1.1, 5.2.1, 5.2.2 (b), 7.1.5 (c), 7.1.10 and 7.1.13 and 3.4.3 Background 1. Argosy Property Trust ("ARG") is a unit trust under the Unit Trusts Act 1960 ("Act") with ARG Units ("ARG Units") quoted on the NZSX and subject to the NZSX Listing Rules ("Rules"). 2. The trustee of ARG is The New Zealand Guardian Trust Company Limited (the "Trustee"). 3. On 30 August 2011, ARG completed a transaction to internalise the management of ARG (the "Internalisation"). The Internalisation had been previously approved by ARG unitholders. The Internalisation included the following elements: a. the company previously called Argosy Property Management Limited (the "Previous Manager"), which is wholly owned by a subsidiary of ANZ National Bank Limited, was replaced as manager by the company now called Argosy Property Management Limited (the "Manager"), the sole share in which is held by Public Trust; b. the provisions of the Trust Deed relating to the payment of management fees to the manager of ARG were deleted, so that the management fees are no longer payable; and c. ARG paid a sum of approximately $20 million to the Previous Manager. 4. ARG now proposes to corporatise ARG, so that ARG will cease to be a unit trust and become a company, and ARG unitholders will cease to hold units and become shareholders in a new company called Argosy Property Limited ("APL"), subject to receiving approval of ARG unitholders (the "Corporatisation"). 5. The Corporatisation will proceed as follows: a. On incorporation APL will have one share held jointly by two directors of the Manager. The Directors of the Manager and APL will be the same; b. APL will acquire 99 units in ARG and a wholly owned subsidiary of APL will acquire one unit in ARG (the "APL Units"); c. the two Directors who hold the share in APL will transfer that share to the Trustee; d. the shares of the Trustee's nominee which holds ARG's assets, and all of the other interests of the Trustee in the assets and liabilities of the Trust, will be transferred to APL; e. APL will pay the purchase price by: i. issuing to the Trustee (or a nominee of the Trustee) a number of shares (the "APL Shares") equal to the number of ARG Units held by ARG unitholders (other than holders in jurisdictions outside New Zealand and Australia ("Overseas Holders" and the holders of the APL Units); and ii. paying to the Trustee (or a nominee of the Trustee) an amount of cash equal to the amount to be paid to Overseas Holders on redemption of their ARG Units. f. The Manager will then redeem all of the ARG Units other than the APL Units ("Redemption"). Unitholders other than Overseas Holders will receive a number of APL Shares in exchange for an equal number of their ARG Units. Overseas Holders will receive a cash amount in exchange for their ARG Units, which will reflect the value of their ARG Units, instead of APL Shares. Other than with regards to the Overseas Holders, the Redemption is intended to result in APL having virtually identical shareholders (and relative control percentages) as the ARG unitholders immediately prior to the Corporatisation; g. MFL Mutual Fund limited ("MFL") holds 22.35% of the ARG Units ("MFL Units"). The Manager will redeem all MFL Units in consideration for the transfer of APL Shares. This transfer will be completed prior to the transfer of APL Shares to other ARG unitholders, to ensure that the Takeovers Code does not apply. However, the redemption of MFL's ARG Units and the redemption of the remaining unitholders' ARG Units (other than Overseas Holders) will occur in sequence on the same day; h. APL will also acquire from Public Trust the sole share in the Manager for a sum of $1.00; i. APL will make application for the APL Shares to be quoted on the NZSX; and j. The Corporatisation will result in the transfer of the assets and liabilities of ARG to APL. ARG will be wound up in due course and any remaining assets will be distributed to APL. 6. ARG is seeking waivers from the Rules 3.4.3, 5.1, 5.2, 7.1, 7.6.5, 8.3.1 and 9.2, in respect of the Corporatisation. Application 1 - Rule 9.2 7. Rule 9.2.1 requires Material Transactions with Related Parties to be approved by an Ordinary Resolution. 8. APL will be a Related Party of ARG in terms of Rule 9.2.3 because: a. the Directors of the Manager are treated as Directors of ARG in terms of paragraph (b) of the definition of "Director" in Rule 1.6.1; b. the Directors of APL and the Directors of the Manager will be the same people; and c. APL is an Associated Person of each of its Directors (Rules 1.8.3(a) and 1.8.5). 9. In addition, various parties to the transaction such as MFL, and ARG unitholders who are Directors of the Manager or are Associated Persons of a Director of the Manager, are Related Parties of ARG. 10. The Corporatisation will be a Material Transaction, as: a. the value of ARG's assets less liabilities which are to be transferred to APL exceed 10% of the market capitalisation of ARG; and b. APL will indemnify the Trustee in respect of all liabilities of, or incurred by, the Trustee or its directors, officers, employees and agents. This is in addition to the Trustee's current indemnity out of the trust fund of ARG ("Trust Fund") and reflects the fact that, after Corporatisation there will be little or no assets left in the Trust Fund to meet any liability incurred by the Trustee. This indemnity could exceed 10% of the market capitalisation of APL and would qualify as a Material Transaction under Rule 9.2. 11. ARG has approached NZX Market Supervisions ("NZXMS") for a waiver from Rule 9.2.1 in respect of the Corporatisation. 12. In support of its application for a waiver from Rule 9.2, ARG submits that: a. The Directors of the Manager are involved as shareholders and Directors of APL only to facilitate the Corporatisation. They have no personal financial interest in the transaction (other than as ARG unitholders in which case their interests are identical to other ARG unitholders). In terms of footnote 1 to rule 9.2.1, the personal involvement or personal interest of the directors is immaterial, and plainly unlikely to have influenced the proposal or its terms and conditions. b. There is no transfer of value or potential transfer of value from ARG to a Related Party. Before and after the transactions the ownership of the ARG assets will be in the hands of the same people, who were earlier ARG unitholders and now will become APL shareholders (other than the Overseas Holders). c. All unitholders, (except for Overseas Holders and the holders of the APL Units), whether or not they are Related Parties, will be treated identically. d. In respect of the indemnity referred to in 10(b) above, investors in APL will be in the same position after Corporatisation as before. Before Corporatisation, as unitholders they effectively bear any amount payable under the indemnity in the Trust Deed in favour of the Trustee. After Corporatisation, they will as shareholders bear the same amount in respect of liabilities which the Trustee incurred before Corporatisation if, and only if, the Trustee was entitled to be indemnified for that amount under the Trust Deed. Again, there is no transfer of value. The proposal to grant the indemnity will be disclosed in the material sent to unitholders in the notice of meeting. e. The purpose of Rule 9.2 is to govern transactions where the issuer may be influenced by a Related Party to undertake a transaction which is unduly favourable to that Related Party. That is irrelevant in the present case. Rule 9.2 13. The relevant parts of Rule 9.2 provide: 9.2.1 An Issuer shall not enter into a Material Transaction if a Related Party is, or is likely to become: a. a direct or indirect party to the Material Transaction, or to at least one of a related series of transactions of which the Material Transaction forms part; or b. in the case of a guarantee or other transaction of the nature referred to in paragraph (d) of the definition of Material Transaction, a direct or indirect beneficiary of such guarantee or other transaction, unless that Material Transaction is approved by an Ordinary Resolution of the Issuer. Footnote 1 NZX may waive the requirement to obtain the approval of a resolution for the purposes of Rule 9.2.1 if it is satisfied that the personal connections with, or involvement or personal interest of a Related Party are immaterial or plainly unlikely to have influenced the promotion of the proposal to enter into the transaction or its terms and conditions. 9.2.2 For the purpose of Rule 9.2.1., "Material Transaction" means a transaction or a related series of transactions whereby an Issuer: a. purchases or otherwise acquires, gains, leases (as lessor or lessee) or sells or otherwise disposes of, assets having an Aggregate Net Value in excess of 10% of the Average Market Capitalisation of the Issuer.... b. enters into any guarantee, indemnity, underwriting, or similar obligation, or gives any security, for or of obligations which could expose the Issuer to liability in excess of 10% of the Average Market Capitalisation of the Issuer; or 9.2.3 For the purposes of Rule 9.2.1, "Related Party" means a person who is at the time of a Material Transaction, or was at any time within six months before a Material Transaction: a. a Director or executive officer of the Issuer or any of its Subsidiaries; or b. the holder of a Relevant Interest in 10% or more of a Class of Equity Securities of the Issuer carrying Votes; or c. an Associated Person of the Issuer or any of the persons referred to in (a) or (b), other than a person who becomes an Associated Person as a consequence of the Material Transaction itself (or an intention or proposal to enter into the Material Transaction itself);or 9.2.4 Rule 9.2.1 shall not apply to: ......... (b) the issue, acquisition or redemption by an Issuer of Securities of that Issuer, or the giving by an Issuer of financial assistance for the purposes of, or in connection with, the purchase of Securities, or the payment of a distribution to holders of Securities, if all holders of Securities of the Class in question are treated in the same way, so that each such holder has an opportunity to receive the same benefit in respect of each Security held by that holder except to the extent that an issue excludes holders outside New Zealand in accordance with Rule 7.3.4 (h). For the purposes of this praragraph, the transfer, by an Issuer which is a company registered under Companies Act 1993, of shares held by that company in itself, shall be deemed to constitute an issue of Securities; or Decision 14. On the basis that the information provided to NZXMS is full and accurate in all material respects, NZXMS grants ARG a waiver from Rule 9.2 to allow ARG to enter into the Corporatisation without seeking the approval of ARG unitholders by an Ordinary Resolution in accordance with that Rule. Reasons 15. In coming to the decision to grant ARG a waiver from Rule 9.2, NZXMS has considered that: a. The mischief that Rule 9.2.1 seeks to prevent is the undue influence by a Related Party on an Issuer's decision to undertake a transaction favourable to that Related Party. This is not present in relation to the Corporatisation; b. ARG has submitted, and NZXMS has no reason not to accept, that the Related Parties to the Corporatisation, being APL, the Directors of the Manager, the Associated Persons of those Directors who are ARG unitholders and MFL, have no personal interest in the Corporatisation except as holders of ARG Units. Accordingly, the interests of those Related Parties is identical to the interests of the other ARG unitholders; c. ARG unitholders will have an opportunity to consider and vote on the Corporatisation; and d. Except for Overseas Holders and the holders of the APL Units, all ARG unitholders are treated in the same way under the Corporatisation. There is no transfer of value from ARG unitholders as all the assets of ARG will be transferred to APL during this transaction and all ARG unitholders (except Overseas Holders and the holders of the APL Units) will become APL shareholders. Application 2 - Rules 7.6.5 and 8.3.1 16. Overseas Holders comprise approximately 0.57% of all ARG unitholders and hold 0.2250% of the ARG Units. Under the Corporatisation, Overseas Holders will receive cash rather than APL Shares in respect of their ARG Units. The cash amount to be paid to the Overseas Holders will be calculated based on the weighted average price of ARG Units on the NZSX over the five days on which trading in Units actually occurs on NZSX most recently before the record date for the Redemption less withholding taxes (if any). 17. For completeness, Overseas Holders, and the holders of the APL Units, will be sent the notice of meeting and will be entitled to attend and vote (in person or by proxy) at the meeting. However the Overseas Holders will not be entitled to receive APL Shares in exchange for their ARG Units, and thus will not be made an offer of APL Shares for the purposes of the securities laws of their jurisdictions. 18. The reason for not redeeming the units held by the holders of the APL Units is to enable ARG to continue in existence after the Corporatisation is complete (otherwise ARG would have no unitholders), thereby enabling an orderly wind up of ARG in due course. In addition, APL is the holder of all the assets and liabilities that ARG formerly held. During the course of the winding up, residual assets and liabilities may be determined, and it is proper that those assets and liabilities pass to APL (as part of ARG's winding up). The holders of the APL Units will consent to the Corporatisation. 19. As Overseas Holders will receive cash rather than APL Shares for their ARG Units, ARG is of the view that Overseas Holders, the holders of the APL Units and other ARG unitholders, would be separate groups for the purposes of Rules 7.6.5 and 8.3.1. 20. ARG seeks a waiver from Rule 7.6.5, to allow all ARG unitholders (including the holders of the APL Units and Overseas Holders) to approve the Corporatisation (which includes the Redemption) as one group. 21. ARG also seeks a waiver from Rule 8.3.1 to allow all ARG unitholders (including the holders of the APL Units and Overseas Holders) to approve the Corporatisation as one group without the need for separate resolutions from each group and to pass an extraordinary resolution to authorise an amendment of the trust deed by the Trustee and the Manager to do everything necessary to effect Corporatisation. 22. In support of the applications referred to in paragraphs 20 and 21 above, ARG submits that: a. the reason for treating Overseas Holders differently to the other ARG unitholders is the risk of breaching securities laws in the 17 jurisdictions outside Australia and New Zealand (the "Other Jurisdictions") if an offer is made in those jurisdictions. In addition, if there are compliance requirements in the Other Jurisdictions, the cost, time and administrative effort of complying with those requirements may also be very considerable. If compliance with the laws of the Other Jurisdictions were required, it is likely that the Corporatisation proposal would be materially complicated and delayed, and possibly might not proceed at all; b. if a separate resolution of unit holders in Other Jurisdictions is required (requiring a 75% majority) it is certainly possible that it would not be passed, and the Corporatisation would not proceed. c. A waiver from the obligation to obtain separate approval of holders in Other Jurisdictions is analogous to an existing exception in Rule 7.3.4(h). This exception allows an Issuer to be exempt from the requirement to proportionately issue Equity Securities where the issue would be in a jurisdiction outside of New Zealand where legal requirements would make it unduly onerous for the Issuer to make the offer in that jurisdiction. ARG considers a waiver in these circumstances is analogous to Rule 7.3.4(h). ARG submits that a key principle underlying Rule 7.3.4(h) is that the vast majority of holders of Equity Securities should not be disadvantaged by an inability to proceed with an offer or issue of securities if the requirements of Rule 7.3.4(a), (b) or (c) cannot practicably be met due to an inability to issue or offer securities to holders in overseas jurisdictions where compliance with local securities law is practically impossible or unduly onerous; d. ARG submits that it would be appropriate for the waiver to be conditional upon the number of ARG Units to be redeemed for cash to be limited to no more than 1% of all ARG Units on issue on the date that the waiver is granted. Rules 23. The relevant part of Rule 7.3.4 provides that: ... the Issuer shall be entitled: ... (h) to not offer or issue Equity Securities to holders of existing Securities in a jurisdiction outside New Zealand if the legal requirements of that jurisdiction are such that it is unduly onerous for the Issuer to make the offer in that jurisdiction provided that in the case of Renounceable Rights, the Issuer shall arrange the sale of any Renounceable Rights to the relevant Equity Securities and to account to holders in that jurisdiction for the proceeds. 24. Rule 7.6.5 provides: An Issuer may acquire or redeem Equity Securities under Rule 7.6.1(d), or give financial assistance under Rule 7.6.3(b), if the precise terms and conditions of the specific proposal (the "Proposal") to acquire or redeem those Equity Securities, or of the giving of that financial assistance, have been approved by separate resolutions (passed by a simple majority of Votes) of members of each separate group of each Class of Quoted Equity Securities of the Issuer whose rights or entitlements are materially affected in a similar way by the Proposal. 25. Rule 8.3.1 provides: Every Issuer shall comply with the provisions of sections 116 and 117 of the Companies Act 1993, whether or not the Issuer is a company registered under that Act. For the purposes of this Rule 8.3.1, those sections shall be deemed to be modified so that: a. references in those sections to "shares" shall (subject to Rule 8.3.2) be deemed to include references to all Equity Securities of that Issuer, and references to "shareholders" shall be read accordingly; and b. in respect of Issuers which are not companies registered under the Companies Act 1993, references to the "company" shall be deemed to be references to the Issuer, and references to pre-emptive rights under section 45 of that Act shall be deemed to be deleted from those sections; and c. in respect of Equity Securities which are not shares of a company registered under the Companies Act 1993: i. references to a special resolution shall be deemed to be references to a resolution approved by a majority of 75% of votes of the holders of those Securities entitled to vote and voting; and ii. references to the constitution shall be deemed to be references to the document which governs the rights of those Equity Securities. 26. Section 117 of the Companies Act provides that: 117(a) A company must not take action that affects the rights attached to shares unless that action has been approved by a special resolution of each interest group. 27. Section 116 of the Companies Act defines "interest group" as: interest group, in relation to any action or proposal affecting rights attached to shares, means a group of shareholders whose affected rights are identical; and whose rights are affected by the action or proposal in the same way; and subject to subsection 2(b) of this section, who comprise the holders of one or more classes of shares in the company. Decision 28. On the basis that the information provided to NZXMS is full and accurate in all material respects, NZXMS grants ARG waivers from the requirement of Rules 7.6.5 and 8.3.1 to allow all ARG unitholders to vote on the Corporatisation proposal as one group and to pass an extraordinary resolution to authorise an amendment of the trust deed, permitting the Trustee and the Manager to do everything necessary to effect Corporatisation, on the condition that as at the earlier of the date that this waiver decision is announced or the date that the Corporatisation is announced, the number of units held by unitholders whose addresses are in Other Jurisdictions does not exceed 1% of all ARG Units. Application 2 - Reasons 29. In coming to the decision to grant the waivers contained in paragraph 28 above, NZXMS has considered: a. the policy of the requirement in Rule 7.6.5, that the Redemption be approved by all holders whose rights and entitlements are materially affected in a similar way, is designed to prevent the approval of a transaction by a group of holders that would unfairly advantage that group to the detriment of other holders; b. the valuation mechanism (VWAP) for the ARG Units held by Overseas Holders who will receive cash is an objective measure, serving to ensure that Overseas Holders obtain fair value for their ARG Units; c. ARG submits, and NZXMS has no reason not to accept, that the cost of obtaining advice in the Other Jurisdictions is considerable. As a result, without a waiver from Rule 7.6.5, the Corporatisation may be delayed or would not be able to proceed; d. the condition set out in paragraph 28, above, will ensure that the maximum number of ARG Units held by ARG unitholders who will be cashed out is not likely to exceed 1% of ARG Units; and e. it is appropriate that the rights of minority Equity Security Holders to participate in a transaction be sensibly balanced against the interests of the Issuer and all Equity Security Holders by ensuring that an Issuer is able to complete transactions without undue expense and complication. In this regard NZXMS notes that the cost of extending the offer to all Overseas Holders (presuming that this is legally possible) may not be in the best interests of ARG and the majority of ARG unitholders. Application 3 - Rules 5.1.1, 5.2.1, 5.2.2 (b), 7.1.5 (c), 7.1.10 and 7.1.13 30. APL will apply for Listing and Quotation of its ordinary shares in accordance with the relevant Rules. Although an application for Listing will be made by APL, given that APL will be materially similar to ARG in a number of key respects, ARG has requested that NZXMS grant waivers in respect of certain Listing, Quotation and offering document requirements. 31. In particular, ARG seeks, on behalf of APL, waivers from: a. Rule 5.1.1, to the extent that an application for Listing shall be made through a Primary Market Participant acting as an Organising Participant. b. Rule 5.2.1, to the extent that the Rule requires that an application for quotation of a class of securities be made through a Primary Market Participant acting as Organising Participant. c. Rule 5.2.2(b), to the extent that the Rule requires that an application for Quotation under Rule 5.2.1 be submitted with evidence that the Primary Market Participant has sought assurance from NZX that Authority to Act has not been withdrawn in respect of securities for which quotation is sought. d. the requirement in Rule 7.1.5(c) that the Corporatisation Offering Document shall contain in its subscription application a field for subscribers to insert their CSN number. e. the requirement in Rule 7.1.10 that the Corporatisation Offering Document, after stating that application may be made to the Issuer, shall state that they may be lodged with any Primary Market Participant, the Organising Participant or any other channel approved by NZX. f. the requirement in Rule 7.1.13 for the Corporatisation Offering Document to specify the period within which refunds of subscription money will be made, and whether or not interest will be paid on amounts refunded to subscribers. 32. In support of its application ARG submits that: a. if the waivers are granted this will reduce the cost, time and complexity associated with compliance with various Listing Rules that contemplate an application for Listing and/or Quotation: i. by an entity unknown to NZX and the market; and ii. in respect of securities that relate to underlying assets that the market is unfamiliar with. b. ARG does not consider the granting of the waivers sought in paragraph 31 above will materially adversely affect APL shareholders, NZX or the market. c. As the offer of APL Shares is being made pro rata to existing ARG unitholders (other than Overseas Holders and APL) in exchange for redemption of their units, and no subscription monies are to be received by APL, a Primary Market Participant acting as Organising Participant is not required to ensure the success of the Corporatisation. Rules 33. The relevant parts of Rule 5.1.1 provide: Application shall be made through a Primary Market Participant acting as Organising Participant. 34. Rule 5.2.1 provides: 5.2.1 An Issuer, or applicant for Listing, may apply to NZX for a Class or Classes of its Securities to be Quoted on the NZSX or NZDX. Separate application must be made for each Class of Securities, through a Primary Market Participant acting as Organising Participant, except that the application need not be made through an Organising Participant in the case of an application to Quote a Class of Securities where the Securities to be Quoted are rights to Securities that are already Quoted. 35. The relevant part of Rule 5.2.2(b) provides: 5.2.2 The following information and material shall be submitted with an application under Rule 5.2.1: ... evidence that the Primary Market Participant has sought assurance from NZX that Authority to Act has not been withdrawn in respect of Securities for which Quotation is sought or a certificate is provided under Rule 7.4 of the NZX Participant Rules (whichever is applicable); and 36. The relevant parts of Rule 7.1.5(c) provide: 7.1.5 Every Offering Document shall contain: ... (c) in its subscription application a field for subscribers to insert their CSN number (if any). 37. Rule 7.1.10 provides: 7.1.10 Every Offering Document, after stating that applications may be made to the Issuer, shall state that they may be lodged with any Primary Market Participant, the Organising Participant or any other channel approved by NZX (in that order) in time to enable forwarding to the appropriate place prior to the application closing date. 38. Rule 7.1.13 provides: 7.1.13 Each Offering Document shall specify: a. the period within which a refund of subscription moneys will be made to applicants for Securities to whom allotments are not made; and b. whether or not interest will be paid on amounts refunded in terms of (a) and, if so, the basis upon which interest will be calculated. Decision 39. On the basis that the information provided to NZXMS is full and accurate in all material respects, NZXMS grants APL waivers from: a. Rules 5.1.1 and 5.2.1, to the extent that those Rules require that an application for Listing and Quotation of a class of securities be made through a Primary Market Participant acting as Organising Participant; b. Rule 5.2.2(b), to the extent that the Rule requires that an application for Quotation under Rule 5.2.1 be submitted with evidence that the Primary Market Participant has sought assurance from NZX that Authority to Act has not been withdrawn in respect of securities for which Quotation is sought; c. the requirement in Rule 7.1.5(c) that the Corporatisation Offering Document shall contain in its subscription application a field for subscribers to insert their CSN number; d. the requirement in Rule 7.1.10 that the Corporatisation Offering Document, after stating that application may be made to the Issuer, shall state that they may be lodged with any Primary Market Participant, the Organising Participant or any other channel approved by NZX; and e. the requirement in Rule 7.1.13 for the Corporatisation Offering Document to specify the period within which refunds of subscription money will be made, and whether or not interest will be paid on amounts refunded to subscribers. Reasons 40. In coming to the decision to grant ARG waivers from Rules 5.1.1, 5.2.1 and 5.2.2(b), NZXMS considered that, as the offer of APL Shares is being made pro rata solely to existing ARG unitholders in exchange for redemption of their ARG Units (other than for Overseas Holders and the holders of the APL Units), and no subscription monies are to be received by APL, a Primary Market Participant acting as Organising Participant is not required to ensure the success of the Corporatisation; 41. In coming to the decision to grant ARG a waiver from Rule 5.2.1 and from Rule 7.1.5(c) NZXMS has considered that the recipients of the APL Shares will be those recorded on the register of ARG on the Record Date, and new shares will essentially be issued to these ARG unitholders (other than Overseas Holders and the holders of the APL Units) pro rata and that there is no requirement for the ARG unitholders to fill out an application form for the APL Shares. 42. In coming to the decision to grant ARG a waiver from Rule 7.1.10, NZXMS has considered that it is unnecessary for an Organising Participant to act in respect of the Corporatisation. 43. In coming to the decision to grant ARG a waiver from Rule 7.1.13, NZXMS has considered that no subscription money will be received in respect of the Corporatisation. Rule 7.1.13 is therefore not applicable to the Corporatisation. Application 4 - Rule 3.4.3 44. On 19 July 2011 NZXMS granted ARG a waiver ("Previous Waiver") from Rule 3.4.3 to allow the Directors of the Manager to vote on any resolution necessary to consider, progress or give effect to the "Internalisation" or any other proposal or transaction relating to a change to the arrangements for the management of ARG and to be counted in the quorum for the purposes of the consideration of such matters. 45. ARG is seeking a waiver from the restrictions in Rule 3.4.3 on the same basis provided in the Previous Waiver except that, instead of the "Internalisation" proposed thereunder, ARG is now proceeding with the Corporatisation. Rules 46. Rule 3.4.3 provides: Subject to Rule 3.4.4, a Director shall not vote on a Board resolution in respect of any matter in which that Director is interested, nor shall the Director be counted in the quorum for the purposes of consideration of that matter. For this purpose, the term "interested" bears the meaning assigned to that term in section 139 of the Companies Act 1993, on the basis that if an Issuer is not a company registered under that Act, the reference to the "company" in that section shall be read as a reference to the Issuer. 47. The Companies Act 1993 defines "interested" to include the following: 139(1) For the purposes of this Act, a director of a company is interested in a transaction to which the company is a party if, and only if, the director ... (c) is a director, officer, or trustee of another party to, or person who will or may derive a material financial benefit from, the transaction, not being a party or person that is-- (i) the company's holding company being a holding company of which the company is a wholly-owned subsidiary; or (ii) a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company; or (iii) a wholly-owned subsidiary of a holding company of which the company is also a wholly-owned subsidiary; Decision 48. On the basis of the decision granted in the Previous Waiver and on the basis that the information provided to NZXMS is complete and accurate in all material respects, NZXMS hereby grants ARG a waiver from Rule 3.4.3 to allow the Directors of the Manager to vote, and be counted in the quorum at a meeting of the ARG Board on any resolution necessary to consider, progress or give effect to the Corporatisation. Reasons 49. In coming to the decision to grant ARG the waiver in respect of Rule 3.4.3, NZXMS has considered that: a. the policy behind Rule 3.4.3 is to prevent situations arising whereby Directors who have a vested interest in a transaction may authorise the entry into, or implementation of, matters that are detrimental to the interests of shareholders as a result of that "interest"; b. the "interest" of the Directors of the Manager in this instance arises by virtue of the unique operating and management arrangement of a unit trust; and c. unit holders of ARG will have the opportunity to consider and vote on the Corporatisation and other proposals affecting the management of ARG in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Act and the Rules. Confidentiality 50. ARG has submitted that this decision, and the information contained within this decision, are confidential and commercially sensitive. ARG requests that this decision remains confidential until the Corporatisation Offering Document is distributed to ARG unitholders. 51. NZXMS grants ARG's request for confidentiality, as it accords with the policy of Rules 1.11.2 and 1.11.4 and the footnotes to those Rules. ENDS. End CA:00219136 For:ARG Type:WAV/RULE Time:2012-02-02 17:01:06
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