When “Please Pay” Stops Working – Statutory Demands
Unpaid invoices piling up? Learn how statutory demands can prompt action and recover outstanding business debts.
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Topical issues
Supreme Court Confirms Uber Drivers Are Employees
Key Takeaways and Next Steps for Businesses Using Contractor Models Recently, New Zealand’s Supreme Court delivered a unanimous decision that four Uber drivers are employees (not independent contractors) under the…
Eye on Privacy Compliance: The New Rules Governing the use of Biometric Processes
What the Biometric Processing Privacy Code Means for Your Business As of 3 November 2025, the new rules regulating the use of biometric processes in New Zealand (the Biometric Processing…
Changes to the Holidays Act 2003: what this means for employers and employees
Employment Leave Act NZ: Key Changes to Annual Leave, Sick Leave & Public Holidays New Zealand employers have long battled with the compliance headache that is the current Holidays Act…
Tariff cease-fire: a breather for New Zealand exporters – but no time to relax.
Since our last update on US tariffs, there have been several significant developments unfold in the global trade landscape. Here is where things currently stand for New Zealand exporters. New…
Incorporated Societies: Countdown to Re-Registration Under the 2022 Act
What you need to know about updating your constitution and meeting the deadline As most Incorporated Societies should be aware by now, a new legislative framework is in place for…
US Tariffs: Keep Calm, Carry On
There’s been a lot of justified noise around the recent US tariff announcements. Global share markets have seen considerable volatility due to the resulting uncertainty, and exporters around the world…
Financial Markets Authority submissions: clarifying the use of Eligible Investor Certificates
Eligible Investor Certificates: High Court Submissions and Key Implications In recent submissions made to the High Court, the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) has sought clarification on when eligible investor certificates…
Competition Law Review: Submissions on the Commerce Act 1986
Modernising Competition Law: Our Take on the Commerce Act Review The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has recently called for submissions as part of its review of the…
A Necessary Evolution: Government to Review the Companies Act 1993
This post was originally published on LinkedIn as an opinion piece by Richard Hoare. The government is launching a review of the Companies Act 1993. While the Act has been…
Writing your Will – Navigating moral duty within blended families
You might expect that your Will is your final say and that it would prevent any future family arguments. However, the reality is that your Will can be challenged. A…
Return of the trial period – common pitfalls and lessons learned
Return of the trial period – common pitfalls and lessons learned Since trial periods were reintroduced to the employers’ toolkit in December 2023, we have noticed a wide spectrum of…
Climate Law Developments Against Corporate Entity Emissions
Climate Law Developments Against Corporate Entity Emissions Climate law continues to impact the domestic and international legal sphere. The recent decision to allow a tort-based case on the liability of…
Notable changes to NZS3910:2023 for civil and commercial construction contracts
Those involved with civil and commercial construction contracts will see the updated NZS3910:2023 General Conditions of Contract appearing in tenders coming to market. The new version is an evolution rather…
The tricky question of employee vs independent contractor
The question of whether someone is an employee, or a contractor, can have significant implications for both parties. This question has been hotly debated, and the Employment Relations Authority and…
Does your house insurance policy cover a total loss?
After the Christchurch earthquake many insurance companies changed their house insurance policies from “full replacement” cover to “sum insured” amounts. This meant that if your house was damaged or destroyed,…
Parental leave payments to increase from 1 July
From today, eligible employees will receive an increase in the maximum weekly payment from $621.76 to $661.12 per week gross. The 6.33% increase is in line with the rise in…
New rules for whistleblowers from 1 July
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…
Gloriavale employment court decision raises the question, who is an employee?
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…
Free legal advice not always the best advice
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.…
Lack of housing supply in urban centres problematic
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…
Commercial landlords and tenants be aware – compulsory no access clauses are near
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…
What happens if you die without a Will?
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…
Moving in or moving on? Plan ahead!
Have you and your partner entered into a Relationship Property Agreement? You might be surprised to find that your separate property may not be as secure from your partner as…
Trust Law Update – The Case of the Missing Beneficiary
The recent case of The Estate of Thomas Winston Hodgson highlights changes under the new Trusts Act and what the Court will deem ‘reasonable measures’ when trying to find missing…
Flood Prone Notices And The Plan Change 27 Correspondence From Tauranga City Council
Many Tauranga residents have recently received a letter from Tauranga City Council informing them of Plan Change 27 and advising that their property is one impacted by the proposed Plan…
Directors’ Duties And Robbing Peter To Pay Paul
With the current economic climate of Covid-19, company Directors may question their business solvency and whether to continue trading in such circumstances. The recent Supreme Court decision of Madsen-Ries v…
Are You Ready For The Privacy Act 2020?
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…
5 Reasons Every Adult Should Have A Will
Why do we need a will? In basic terms, to document who you wish to provide for upon your death and how you’d like your assets to be distributed. Wills…
Employment Mediation Service “Virtual Mediations”
Employment mediations that had been scheduled to take place in March, April and May of this year, during Alert levels 4 and 3 were conducted by phone, rather than in…