There are more than 24,000 Incorporated Societies in New Zealand and the law that governs them is changing. If you are the secretary of the local rugby club, you’re actually an officer of an Incorporated Society. The previous law had been in place since 1908 and was well overdue for an upgrade. The new law,…
Significant changes are being made in New Zealand workplaces to better protect whistleblowers. The Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022 is set to replace the Protected Disclosures Act 2000 from 1 July 2022. The new Act has been a long time coming: a review in 2017 found that employers and whistleblowers had problems with:…
This week the Employment Court handed down a landmark decision relating to three former members of the Gloriavale Christian community. While this case might seem extreme or unusual it is a timely reminder for employers to consider who is working for them, and whether they have the right agreements in place. Who is an employee?…
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;…
As a 45 year old male, happily married with two children, I was unfamiliar with the concept of ghosting until recently. My middle-aged mind had logically assumed it was some kind of teenage prank where you dressed up in a white sheet and walked around your friend’s house at night making eerie sounds until they…
The government is consulting on the proposed New Zealand Income Insurance Scheme. The scheme would see workers who are made redundant or who have to stop working because of a health condition or disability receive 80 percent of their usual salary for up to seven months, up to the current ACC cap. The proposal also…
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…
No access in emergency clauses have been a hot topic for most landlords and tenants since NZ’s first level 4 lockdown last year. Clause 27.5 of the ADLS Deed of Lease is likely the more discussed clause in leases in the last 18 months. During NZ’s level 4 lockdown in 2020, it became apparent that…
If you pass away and do not have a Will in place, this is called dying ‘intestate’. In this situation, the Administration Act 1969 comes into play and dictates how the next steps are undertaken. Your next of kin will need to apply to the court using a document called ‘Letters of Administration’ and ask…
One of the employment law reforms proposed by the Government was the introduction of “Fair Pay Agreements” (FPAs). An FPA would set minimum employment terms and conditions for all workers in the industry or sector covered by the agreement. This means that employers and employees could still agree on better pay and conditions than are…