Lawyers involved in bank penalty fee class action cases in New Zealand said the Australian Federal Court ruling would provide important guidance for the cases currently before the Auckland High Court. Andrew Hooker, who represents the Fair Play on Fees joint action being backed by Australia's Slater and Gordon, and Litigation Lending Services, said the ruling would help the New Zealand cases. "From what we heard in the Federal Court, Fair Play on Fees thinks the outcome of the case bodes well for the case in New Zealand," Hooker said. Fair Play on Fees has already filed court proceedings against ANZ and Kiwibank, and Hooker said it expected to file actions against National Australia Bank's BNZ, Commonwealth Bank of Australia's ASB and Westpac later in February or in March.