Peter Hattaway completed a law degree at Canterbury University in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1982. In 1987 he entered "the credit industry", working for debt collectors, Creditcorp Services Ltd as a manager and lawyer. Creditcorp listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 1988 but was later bought out by competitor, Baycorp.
Peter joined Telecom South Ltd in Christchurch in 1989 as Credit Manager and later took the role of Revenue Services Manager with approximately 160 staff (which subsequently reduced to 90) in credit, account inquiries, and accounts receivable. Telecom South was one of four regional operating companies which made up the main business of Telecom New Zealand. Based on the success of the credit management function in Telecom South, in 1993 Telecom New Zealand centralised its entire credit management operations (with over 100 credit staff) to Christchurch. Two of the credit managers who worked for Peter at Telecom South became the first two National Credit Managers for Telecom. One still fills this role.
In 1993, Peter left Telecom to set up Hattaway & Associates Ltd. He travelled to the US to study current credit management practices in 1993 and 1996. His first book, Total Quality Credit Management: How to Get Paid in New Zealand, published in 1993, helped to establish him as the leading authority on credit management in New Zealand. Similarly, Paid in Full, A Guide to Credit Management in Australia, published in 1997, helped to establish him in Australia. In 2002, he wrote Credit Revolution: A Practical Guide to Surviving the Personal Property Securities Act, with lawyer and Hattaways seminar presenter, Alan Liddell. This book explained this important piece of New Zealand legislation in terms non-lawyers could understand.
Since 1995, Peter has written a monthly credit management column in the magazine, MG Business (previously The Mercantile Gazette). Some of these articles are available online. He remains based in Christchurch. Most of his training and consulting work is in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, or Wellington.