August 7, 2023
water rights, three waters
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July 27, 2023
GSA, DOPAS, priority amounts, un-drawn facility fee, negative pledge, establishment fee, CARL, facility, pre-approved equipment finance facilities – these are just some of the abbreviations and terms used by rural lenders. Both the application of and meaning of these terms often confuse borrowers, guarantors, accountants and even lawyers.
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July 17, 2023
As an employer, you have a legal duty to ensure the health and safety of your workers and anyone else who may be affected by your work activities. This duty is set out in the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA), which is the main legislation governing workplace health and safety in New Zealand.
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July 7, 2023
In New Zealand, every employee must have a written employment agreement. They contain the fundamental terms and conditions of the employment relationship. A copy should be provided to the employee and you, as employer should also keep a copy. So, what are these fundamental terms and conditions that the employment agreement should cover - what needs to be in them and how you can protect yourself and your staff?
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June 26, 2023
You’ve built a successful business with significant assets, knowledge and skills, but how and when do you pass these on? Many business owners don’t think about this until they’re ready to retire or sell but this is not just an issue to think of for your retirement as illness or death can strike at any time. You want your business to have a planned future that will provide financial security for your family and leave a legacy for future generations.
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June 9, 2023
You own property, maybe investment property or property you use for business and personal use. You’ve heard of bright-line tax and you know the criteria has changed, but what does this mean to you – are you affected?
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June 1, 2023
If you’re thinking about creating an enduring power of attorney (EPA), you need to understand why they’re necessary and that they need to be in place before you need to use them.
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May 29, 2023
When you are selling, or buying, a property you are probably dealing with your most valuable asset, so it’s important to do it right and very important to understand the legal procedures involved.
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April 20, 2023
Where there is a Will, there is a way. At least, that is what we would like to think when documenting what we want to happen to us after we die.
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May 13, 2021
Paternity. It is an issue which is often questioned, but less frequently explored. What can you do if you doubt your paternal link to a child, and mum is not interested in allowing DNA testing to take place? Or if you need financial assistance from your child's father, but he is refusing to accept that he is daddy?
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April 29, 2021
Bad lawyer jokes have been around since time immemorial. On the whole though, and certainly in New Zealand, the reality is a far cry from the jokes, and the experience for clients who deal with us should generally be a positive one.
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April 22, 2021
Having the ability to protect yourself and your family from physical harm can be taken for granted.However, in New Zealand almost half of all homicides are committed by a person who is identified as a family member of the victim.
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April 15, 2021
Discretionary family trusts are a popular form of asset protection in New Zealand. Based on Ministry of Justice data, there are somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 family trusts in the country. Over time, many of these trusts have had to address what to do when a trustee loses, or appears to lose, the capacity to perform his or her functions as a trustee. The issue is amplified by New Zealand’s ageing population and corresponding increase in related diseases such as dementia.
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April 1, 2021
In a quickly changing world, it is difficult to ensure that employment arrangements stay relevant and continue to meet the varying needs of businesses. It is common for employers to want to amend the various terms and conditions of an employee’s employment to better suit their circumstances or when a new issue arises – perhaps hours, wages, location of work , or the need to be vaccinated following a pandemic.
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March 18, 2021
Privacy concerns all of us in everyday life. Whether it be the songs you sing to in the shower, how any times you have looked at an ex's Facebook profile, or how much money you spent online shopping over lockdown. However, that is not the type of privacy the law is generally concerned with.
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March 11, 2021
Health and safety on farms is not a new issue, but it is always worth reminding those in the sector of their responsibilities and the penalties for non-compliance.
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March 8, 2021
Collusion. Bid rigging. Price fixing. Market allocation. Output restriction. Cartel conduct.Whatever name you give it, as of today, entering into or giving effect to any agreement with your competitors where you agree not to compete with each other could land you in prison.
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March 4, 2021
There have been big changes to residential tenancy laws in the last few weeks, coming on the back of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act passed last August.
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March 1, 2021
It is not uncommon in the rural industry for decades long farming arrangements such as leases to be made on a ‘handshake’. A good faith arrangement between neighbours, friends and family will continue to work as good as gold for years until suddenly it doesn’t.
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