On 4 December 2018 the Consumers’ Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Act 2018 came into force. The purpose of the Act is to provide a simple mandatory system in New Zealand that provides consumers with accurate information about the country or place of origin of certain foods so they can make informed decisions about purchasing food.

New Zealand’s law relating to trusts and trust administration is undergoing its most extensive revision and modernisation in over 60 years. On 1 August 2017, Justice Minister Amy Adams introduced the Trusts Bill (Bill) into Parliament. The Bill is now heading towards its second reading. We expect that the Bill will pass into law – most likely during this year.

The Commerce (Criminalisation of Cartels) Amendment Bill received royal assent on 8 April 2019 and will come into effect on 8 April 2021.  This means in two years’ time, a breach of the cartel laws could result in jail time as well as substantial fines.