News

Insulation – Your Obligation as a Landlord

AS REQUIRED BY THE RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES ACT AND THE HEALTHY HOME STANDARDS..

Overseas Investment Amendment Act 2018

*Overseas Investment Amendment Act 2018 (‘Act’)*..

Change to the Bright-Line Test: A Reaction to the Housing Crisis

The “Bright-line test” taxation rule sets out when tax is to be paid on the sale of a residential property. This rule takes into consideration the amount of time property is owned and in what circumstances property changes ownership…

Labour Announces Changes to Employment Law Legislation

Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Government has announced its intended changes to New Zealand’s employment law landscape…

The Trusts Bill 2017 – clarified, simplified and modernised

Trusts are a popular mechanism in New Zealand for protecting and managing assets, and so the introduction into Parliament of the Trusts Bill will be of interest to many. In particular, if you are a settlor – someone setting up a trust and gifting property to it – you will want to be aware of the new disclosure obligations the Bill requires…

Seven years on from the September 2010 earthquake – what you need to know

With the recent seventh anniversary of the 4 September 2010 earthquake, there has been much talk about the impact of the Limitation Acts on earthquake claims. There have also of late been significant legal developments for purchasers of earthquake-damaged homes who obtained assignments of the previous owners’ earthquake claims…

Changes to Powers of Attorney

An Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) enables your family to manage your affairs if you are not able to do so. Recently changes were made to the law governing EPAs to achieve a better balance between protecting the person giving the power (the donor) and making EPAs more accessible to everyone. The changes were also designed to make the process of establishing an EPA more easily understandable. As a result, there are now prescribed forms for Enduring Powers of Attorney…

What the Employment Court has to say about rostering staff at McDonalds

In April 2016, the Government amended the Employment Relations Act to get rid of “zero hour” contracts – the sort of contracts that required the employee to be available for work, but did not obligate the employer to offer any guaranteed hours…

Proposed Employment Legislation – Employment Relations (Allowing Higher Earners to Contract Out of Personal Grievance Provisions) Amendment Bill

The Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee has recently reported back on the Employment Relations (Allowing Higher Earners to Contract Out of Personal Grievance Provisions) Amendment Bill…