Surveillance, burner phones revealed in Wilson Parking case against rival

Saturday, 13 September 2025

Burner phones, private surveillance and an alleged co-conspirator-turned-witness have been revealed as part of Wilson Parking’s legal case against new rival Mainland Parking.

Peter Turner, Wilson’s former South Island manager and now head of Mainland, has been accused of several contract breaches, alleged sabotage and soliciting clients for a future parking company while still employed.

He denies all allegations of wrongdoing.

Details were aired in the Employment Court this week, several months ahead of a full hearing, as Wilson sought temporary orders against Turner and his Christchurch-based company ATE Property Ltd (trading as Mainland Parking).

Turner has not responded to all allegations. His lawyer Dean Russ told Judge Helen Doyle that Turner wanted to avoid a “he said, she said” before a substantive hearing.

Turner’s lawyers said Wilson’s argument lacked substance.

Despite “extensive and highly intrusive investigations” into Turner, Russ said, including Wilson’s hiring of a retired police officer to conduct surveillance, he said there was no hard evidence Turner retained or misused confidential information to start his company.

The right of a person to be interested in starting a business in their chosen field, and then do so, was next to a human right, Mainland’s lawyer Glenn Jones argued.

‘Fraud is not proven with a smoking gun’

The parties were in court because Wilson Parking believed there was a risk Turner could dispose of assets or otherwise make moves which would prevent the multinational from accessing equitable damages, if they won at trial.

Wilson lawyer Kalev Crossland alleged there was evidence of “sustained dishonesty” which justified such an order.

“Fraud is not proven with a smoking gun, rather it is proved by strands that make up a rope,” he said early in the day.

They want Turner and Mainland Parking to be prevented from working with former Wilson clients, which would impact 90% of the company revenue. Or, as a compromise, they want a 30% stake of the company and portfolio - worth almost $20 million, and over $4m a year in revenue - temporarily held in trust.

That 30% figure was similar to the deal Wilson Parking offered Turner on Valentines Day, Crosslands said, which he rejected.

Crossland argued confidential information and other breaches were “baked in” to Mainland’s portfolio. If some 50% of revenue went to landlords, it would leave Turner with 20%, he argued - enough for a wage and expenses.

Wilson alleged Turner and a second senior executive began gauging clients’ interest in a rival company - “testing the waters” - while still employees. Crossland referred to an example of them allegedly wooing a Queenstown landlord using Wilson money for travel and accommodation.

The second senior executive, now a witness for Wilson, was not named. Crossland said the man had “made a mistake” but was now doing something about it.

A Wilson Parking spokesperson confirmed they were “not pursuing action against the second employee”.

Crossland said the second executive continued working for Wilson after Turner left. He was more senior in the company than Turner, but had become “a corrupted insider”, Crossland alleged. He said there were plans for the senior executive to later buy into Mainland Parking.

This second employee told Wilson about the “burner phones”. Crossland, reading from sections of an affidavit, said the employee claimed he destroyed his phone at Turner’s suggestion, after Turner was explicitly instructed not to destroy evidence, days before Christmas 2024.

Russ said an interim hearing was not the best place to respond to those claims, but noted the second employee said the phone was not used to exchange confidential information and was only used for calls, so no evidence - if it existed - would have been found.

Crossland described Turner and the second senior executive’s actions as “industrial espionage”, with the second senior executive his man on the inside.

“The nature of fraud is to hide itself,” he said.

Crossland, referring to affidavits from analysts, said there was proof lease agreements were created and signed in April 2024 - the same month he incorporated his company and around five months before his restraint of trade was due to expire.

It included two agreements with five-year terms, he said, though these did not begin until after the restraint ended.

A forensic analysis of Turner’s devices, including his work laptop, as well as an executed search order, was said to have failed to find any confidential information, according to his lawyers.

There was evidence of hundreds of documents being accessed and deleted in the weekend beginning September 2023 - immediately after Turner’s resignation took effect - Crossland said. But Turner’s lawyers said there was no evidence of sensitive information being kept.

Turner was just tidying up his work laptop after seven years of use, his lawyer said.

Wilson claims lease agreements ‘sabotaged’

Wilson believed it could trace Turner’s alleged change in behaviour in December 2022. Crossland said emails revealed Turner once celebrated securing leases with long terms and good clauses. But by the end of 2023, Wilson claimed he was offering early termination clauses with one month’s notice. Crossland described this as 'premeditated commercial sabotage'.

However, the court was told by Russ - referring to a different Wilson executive’s affidavit - that such terms were normal practice.

Russ acknowledged that Ryan Orchard, Wilson New Zealand chief executive - who attended the first day of the hearing - had disputed that this was normal.

Crosslands said many leases created by Turner were due to expire around the same time as his restraint of trade, around September 2024.

The Catholic Diocese of Christchurch was at the heart of multiple claims, with Crossland describing them as “his [Turner’s] client in waiting”. The diocese was Wilson’s single most profitable client.

Turner stopped working for Wilson on August 31, 2023, but had been job hunting as early as March, at one point offering to work for the diocese directly.

Turner’s lawyer said it was not illegal for employees to seek other work, advice or better understand their contract/obligations.

Mainland fears insolvency if Wilson gets it’s wish

Russ and Jones said if Wilson’s application was granted, Mainland Parking could be insolvent by the time it went to trial.

Almost all clients were former Wilson clients, and those landlords and customers could be forced to walk.

That was Wilson Parking’s goal, Jones argued, and it would “substantially lessen competition” in the Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin markets.

“The overall justice does not favour the making of the orders,” he said.

“If ATE [the company] fails, then that is the end of the case.”

Mainland Parking told the court both landlords and the public were benefiting from its presence in the market.

Wilson’s damages claim states it has paid car park owners an extra $851,000 to stop them defecting.

Jones claimed that if Turner and Mainland Parking were forced to stop operating, it would be akin to extending a restraint of trade more than 12 months after it had already expired.

Judge Doyle has not yet made a judgement on the interim matter.

She said the substantial case would be heard in full over two weeks, potentially in the new year.

The second senior Wilson executive was approached for comment.