News & Articles

Court of Appeal decision: what happens when builders go bankrupt and leave homes unfinished?

In a recent case, the New Zealand Court of Appeal in Francis v Gross made an important decision about what happens when buyers of unfinished homes – called “pods” or…

Congratulations to Bonnie Pitchford

Congratulations to Bonnie Pitchford on her recent promotion to Senior Solicitor. Bonnie joined the firm in 2021 and has quickly established herself as an integral part of our property team. …

Reverse Mortgages Explained

Most homeowners and purchasers of property are familiar with the concept of a mortgage. Simply put, a mortgage is the way in which a bank / lender takes security for…

Sharp Tudhope’s newest lawyers

Congratulations to Meg Skilton and Kate Bennett who were admitted to the bar at the High Court in Tauranga on Friday 5th August. The admission ceremony is a culmination of…

Failing to comply with minimum employment standards costly for employer

A recent Employment Relations Authority (ERA) hearing has found that a Dunedin bakery owner failed to pay its three employees correct wages, sick leave and holiday pay. The workers employed…

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…

Retirement village framework policy review proposed

A recent CFFC (Commission for Financial Capability) White Paper has proposed a complete policy review of the retirement villages framework which has not taken place since the Retirement Villages Act…

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…

Inheritance law is under review

In 2019 the Government instructed the Law Commission to review inheritance law in New Zealand which is currently governed by a combination of acts including the Family Protection Act of…

New rules for residential development in Tauranga are coming

The Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021 is now in effect and requires Tauranga City Council to adopt new rules from 20 August 2022 to…