On 13 March 2019 the Justice Select Committee released its report on the proposed Privacy Bill which will repeal and replace the Privacy Act 1993.  The Privacy Commissioner previously lobbied for a number of changes to the Bill but unfortunately the Committee did not give him everything on his wish list.  Below is a summary of the key changes the Select Committee has proposed to the Bill and the changes that did not make the cut.

The Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the Minister for Small Business have today released a discussion paper about whether there is a need for increased protections for businesses and consumers against unfair commercial practices. 

A summary of the Overseas Investment Act and overseas investment regulations.

The Overseas Investment Amendment Bill (Bill) was passed by Parliament on 15 August 2018 and will come into force in late October 2018.  This note summaries the key changes the Bill makes to the Overseas Investment Act 2005 (Act).

Allegations surfaced last year concerning the sexual misconduct of Hollywood players such as Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, which brought forth the #metoo movement. Suddenly bullying, harassment, and unwanted sexual behaviour has been in the spotlight like never before, even if its existence was never justified.

Do you know the principles the Courts apply when interpreting contracts?  These principles were recently considered by the Court of Appeal in GTV Holdings Ltd v Harris [2018] NZCA 95, a case involving the sale of a business.  The same principles apply to other contracts but are often misunderstood and lead to conflict.

As from 1 July 2018 all law firms will be required to collect and verify information from prospective and existing clients about a range of matters, in order to comply with their legislative obligations to help combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force on 25 May 2018.  The GDPR changes the EU’s legislative framework around how organisations collect, store and manage personal data and, as a New Zealand organisation, you may be affected by the GDPR.  This flow chart gives a quick summary on whether the GDPR applies to your business.

This article gives an overview of how cartel laws may apply to your business.

Criminalisation of cartels is back on Parliament’s agenda. This will affect your business and your board. The consultation process for criminalising cartels is very short – but it is not too late to have your say.

The Government has release its plans for reform of the employment laws. A summary of the areas where changes will be happening are attached.

Darryl King of Jackson Russell and Michael Bright of Gaze Burt presented a workshop to franchisor members of the Franchise Association of New Zealand on 1 November 2017.  The workshop summarised the “cartel” changes to the Commerce Act and worked through whether a franchise system and typical franchise agreement clauses were affected by the cartel changes.  Darryl King wrote a paper to accompany the workshop.  Franchisors are welcome to download a copy of the paper by clicking the download button above. 

The Commerce Commission issued revised draft Competitor Collaboration Guidelines in 2014 in anticipation of the "cartel" changes to the Commerce Act 1986. The Commission is currently updating the guidelines to reflect changes made to the legislation after the draft Guidelines were published. The Commission will publish the updated guidelines on the Commission's website in the future.