It is important that trustees and beneficiaries are aware of the changes and the impacts on their rights and obligations and that trustees use this 18 month transition period to ensure their practices align with the provisions of the new Act.
Read MoreThe Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill (No 2) received its Royal Assent on 30th July 2019 bringing about significant changes for landlords to pay attention to. One such change concerns careless damages caused by tenants at rental properties.
Read More"As any internet user knows, website terms and conditions are burdensomely long. One rarely reads the fine print when they create a social media account, buy an e-book or movie, use a ridesharing service, or download a mobile app." - A New Zealand take.
Read MoreA recent decision of the Commerce Commission again sends warning bells to businesses about misleading their customers… intentionally, unintentionally or by omission.
Read MoreIt is reasonably common to make mistakes when completing a contract.
Read MoreThe Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has released the much anticipated ‘active choice form’ that, from Monday 6 May 2019, employers must give to new employees who are covered by the 30-day rule.
Read MoreThe Domestic Violence - Victims’ Protection Act 2018 (“Act”) came into effect on 1 April 2019 and has many employment law commentators saying that it is the start of a new era in employment law. The Act amends the Employment Relations Act 2000, the Holidays Act 2003 and the Human Rights Act 1993 with the two main changes from an employer’s perspective being that...
Read MoreThere has been much publicity since the release in February of the High Court decision on directors’ liability in relation to the collapse of construction firm Mainzeal. Here is what other managers can learn from this case.
Read MoreAfter almost a year long process, the Employment Relations Amendment Bill (Bill) has now passed into law. Looking ahead, this will create significant change for 2019. The Bill comes into force in three parts over the next 6 months as follows…
Read MoreA business owner entered into a long-term supply contract with a large New Zealand company. After two years, the business owner began losing money because the company’s charges became too high. Frustrated, the business owner sent a letter to the supplier company stating that he was switching to a cheaper provider and that the supply contract was cancelled.
Read MoreWhen dealing with a company that has several directors, there’s a misconception that a single director can bind the company.
Read MoreTrustee capacity issues are becoming increasingly common as life expectancies increase. In New Zealand there is no automatic consequence of a trustee losing capacity - i.e. an incapacitated trustee is not automatically disqualified from holding office. Failure to act promptly to remove a trustee showing early signs of incapacity can have costly consequences.
Read MoreIn April last year, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) introduced a compulsory stand-down for “non-compliant employers”. This is now beginning to have a significant effect on a number of businesses.
Read MoreA recent warning from the Commerce Commission has highlighted how important it is for businesses to have reasonable grounds for any claims or implications they make about their goods or services. The warning was issued on Monday, 18 December to NZ Fibre Communications Limited (“Stuff Fibre”) for making unsubstantiated claims that it is “Probably NZ’s Fastest Internet.”
Read MoreOn 25 January, the Government announced the first round of its employment law reforms. While changes to employment laws were expected, the Government has moved on its pre-election 100-day manifesto in relation to trial periods.
Read MoreWe would like to discuss a simple concept that sometimes causes confusion but which can save money and make life simpler.
The concept is replacing the persons who are the trustees of your trust with a company, of which the present trustees are shareholders and directors.
Read MoreNew regulations came into force in December, 2017, with specific duties applying to persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) with "management or control" of a workplace, transit depot, or a hazardous substance location.
Read MoreRetiring as a trustee is not as simple as it sounds and there are a number of potential liabilities that need to be covered off. It’s not widely known that when accepting appointment as trustee, you are taking on a number of personal obligations and accountabilities.
Read MoreOn 19 October, Winston Peters and New Zealand First announced their decision to form a new government with Labour and the Greens.
New Zealand’s employment law landscape is now set to change and employers need to be ready to adapt.
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