Employees – What are we allowed?
When asking Kiwis what their entitlements are when it comes to annual leave, holidays and resignation, the responses are generally vague. Government statistics show that over 50% of working Kiwis have held their current employment
Reforms in Trust Law – what it means for your trust
Family trusts are a practical structure for holding assets, particularly in New Zealand where there are approximately 300,000 to 500,000 trusts operating today. Currently, the Trustee Act 1956 and the Perpetuities Act 1964 contain provisions
Why is competition law important? – NZME and Fairfax media merger case
Competition law promotes or seeks to maintain competition in marketplaces. It does this by restricting anti-competitive trade practices, mergers and business acquisitions, and economic regulation. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (“MBIE”) Report titled
Domestic Violence Victims Protection Bill
Domestic violence (“DV”) has proven to be a significant issue in New Zealand. For example in 2016, the New Zealand (“NZ”) Police investigated 118,910 incidents of family violence, that equates to approximately one DV incident
The Corporate Veil
Section 15 of the Companies Act 1993 (“Act”) states that a company has a legal personality in its own right and is separate from its shareholders. This is a principle known as the Salomon principle,
Cloud Storage
The idea of cloud storage has become more pertinent over recent years given the exponential advancement of technology. More businesses endeavour to have more ‘paper-less’ environments with the view to creating more efficient, not to
Personal Lending Guarantees – Enforceability
A Guarantor is a person who gives a promise to repay the debt of a borrower. By agreeing to pay a debt the Guarantor has made a guarantee to the institution or person lending the
Reckless Trading and a Directors Liability
The Companies Act 1993 (“the Act”) provides the framework that applies in respect of directors' duties and reckless trading. The Act prohibits a director from allowing the business to be carried on in a manner
The Human Tissues Act
The Human Tissue Act 2008 (“the Act”) currently governs the way human tissue is dealt within New Zealand. Until we are confronted with death, an emergency or illness, few of us are likely to turn
The Bright-line Test – Tightening Property Investment Rules.
In 2015, the government introduced the “bright-line test”, a method which attempts to tighten the property investment rules. The bright-line test states that (subject to exemptions) any gain from disposing of residential land within two