June 2017 There are over 25,000 charities registered with Charities Services in New Zealand. Most of these organisations operate as charitable trusts. Whatever their size, charitable trusts are dependent upon the energy and commitment of their trustees. The purpose of this article is to outline some of the issues you need to think about if… Read More.

June 2017 Social media has become a part of everyday life. Problems arise when employees or ex-employees add their workmates as social media ‘friends’, and post disparaging comments about their employer and/or workmates or breach confidentiality. Bidvest New Zealand Ltd v Vivian [2015] NZERA Wellington 101 In this case, Mr Vivian posted that he had… Read More.

June 2017 In 2015 an array of amendments was made to the Construction Contracts Act 2002 (CCA), to be implemented in three stages, namely on 1 December 2015, 1 September 2016, and 31 March 2017. Stage 1 amendments Previously, if a matter was referred to adjudication only payment dispute determinations could be enforced via Court.… Read More.

June 2017 Townhouse and apartment living has become more prevalent in New Zealand in recent years, particularly in the larger cities of Auckland and Wellington, with multi-unit developments comprising 40 per cent of new builds in 2016. Growth in this area has put the existing legislation, which governs the ownership and management of Unit Titles,… Read More.

June 2017 The Supreme Court in Erceg v Erceg [2017] NZSC 28 has confirmed the court's important role in supervising trustee decisions to not disclose information to beneficiaries. In clarifying the court's supervisory role, this decision should assist beneficiaries in holding trustees to account. Erceg replaces the Privy Council decision of Schmidt v Rosewood Trust… Read More.

June 2017 On 16 February 2017 the Contract and Commercial Law Bill passed its third reading. The Bill consolidates 11 contract and commercial acts into a single piece of legislation. The drafters have also taken the opportunity to update the legislation to simplify the language used and make it more accessible and easier to understand.… Read More.