Perhaps you have a lawyer for a friend. Or, maybe your gym buddy’s friend’s cousin’s boyfriend’s aunt is a lawyer. It may be tempting to ask for free legal advice. Lawyers are often approached for opinions and advice by people out of hours. This is a risky practice and here’s our top four reasons why;…
After another year in the midst of a pandemic it can sometimes be a struggle to remain cheerful, but if we look around, we have many things to be cheerful about, not least of which is the opportunity to take a well-deserved break in our amazing country. It has been a busy year, and we…
From 7 November 2021, New Zealanders who have a terminal illness and are experiencing unbearable suffering will be able to legally ask for medical assistance to end their lives. There is legal framework and a high-level process for accessing assisted dying, including strict criteria and safeguards for eligibility. Assisted dying is not intended to replace…
It’s clear that New Zealand is in the depths of a housing crisis, with the lack of supply and new development in our main urban centres in particular. Many commentators have proposed several solutions to try to fix this and there is merit to many of these solutions. However, without properly understanding the underlying causes…
The Government’s recent law changes and policy announcements include some significant tax changes – a few of which we outline below: For residential investment property acquired on or after 27 March 2021, a 10 year bright-line test now applies. No interest deductions will be available for residential rental property acquired on or after 27 March 2021…
What happens if you do not have Enduring Powers of Attorney? We all know (or should know) that a valid Will is important to have. A Will comes into effect on your death, appoints who will administer your estate, deals with your assets and liabilities and if valid, prevents an intestacy. Equally important and while…
With New Zealand’s return to a COVID-19 Level 4 lockdown, buying and selling property has become more complicated again. The Level 4 rules do not allow for people to physically move house, so settling and moving during the Level 4 period is not possible. Luckily, most sale and purchase agreements now have a “COVID clause”…
As of 1 April 2021, new rules will govern the allocation of the purchase price for a business sale and purchase. For context, the current rules allow vendors and purchasers to allocate different amounts of the purchase price to the same assets. This has left scope for exploitation, with each party being free to make…
The Labour government has signalled that we should expect to see some of the campaign promises to reform employment law implemented during this term. So, what were these promises, and will you be impacted? We outline the seven proposed changes below: Increasing sick leave entitlements: Labour pledged to increase the minimum entitlement of paid sick…
The swift advancements in the information technology space in the last couple of decades have rendered the Privacy Act 1993 outdated and not fit to effectively regulate the current ways in which we gather, store and use information. To address this, New Zealand has a new Privacy Act on the way. What are the key…