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Written by David Alizade, PARTNER on July 20th, 2020.
After a long journey through Parliament, the Privacy Act 2020 (the Act) was passed into law on 30 June, and will come into force on 1 December 2020. The Act retains the key privacy principles found in the Privacy Act 1993. It builds on these with additional changes to reflect the major technological developments that have occurred over the last 27 years. Click through to read more about the key changes the Act will introduce and suggest changes your business may need to make to comply with it.
Written by Darryl King, PARTNER; David Alizade, PARTNER on June 15th, 2020.
After much lobbying from business groups, the government has recently announced promised changes to leasing laws to provide some relief for small tenants that do not have a rent relief clause in their lease. The changes as announced will benefit far fewer tenants than originally proposed, and many tenants will be left with little relief. Click the link to read a summary of the changes.
Written by Glenn Finnigan, PARTNER on May 28th, 2020.
Courier drivers have long been categorised by the Courts as contractors and not employees, largely due to industry practice. The Employment Court recently reconsidered how owner drivers in the courier sector were to be classified in the case of Leota v Parcel Express Limited. Mr Leota was a driver who provided courier services to Parcel Express Limited under an agreement which identified the arrangement as a contract for services. Although the Court said the decision related to the specific facts of Mr Leota’s relationship with Parcel Express Limited, the decision to declare him an employee may set precedent for other owner drivers, especially those operating under a similar model and contract to that used by Parcel Express.
Written by Kelly Seabourne, PARTNER; Darryl King, PARTNER; David Alizade, PARTNER on March 31st, 2020.
The impact of COVID-19 is already widespread and having a massive impact on businesses around the world. Every day New Zealand is seeing further disruption due to COVID-19. Clearly, the increasing disruption caused by COVID-19 and the implementation of Alert Level 4 is causing significant concern for commercial tenants and landlords. Click the link to read more about some of the key issues for landlords and tenants to consider....
Written by Darryl King PARTNER; David Alizade PARTNER; Glenn Finnigan PARTNER; Mark Sullivan PARTNER; Caroline Harris PARTNER; Kelly Seabourne PARTNER on March 24th, 2020.
As COVID-19 spreads and the number of cases around the world climbs, businesses need to take definitive action now to address what is shaping up to be the most significant challenge for some time.
Written by Glenn Finnigan, PARTNER on March 23rd, 2020.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has dominated world headlines in 2020 and is likely to do so for some time to come. New Zealand is not immune from the effects of the virus and just this week the Government announced a $12.1 billion stimulus package to assist employers and the wider economy in coping with the impact of the virus. COVID-19 brings with it a range of employment law issues that employers should turn their mind to as soon as possible.
Written by Jackson Russell on March 23rd, 2020.
An update on Jackson Russell's COVID-19 response.
Written by Israel Vaealiki, PARTNER; Lana Dixon, LAWYER on February 25th, 2020.
In our previous article, we introduced the Trusts Act 2019 (Act), which received Royal Assent on 20 July 2019. We outlined some of the key changes under the Act and identified a number of issues for trustees to consider. In this article we provide more detail on the issues arising under the Act relating to record keeping and disclosure of information. Click the link to find out more about the Act...
Written by Darryl King, PARTNER; David Alizade, PARTNER on February 18th, 2020.
The Fair Trading Amendment Bill aims to provide more protection for small businesses and consumers against unfair commercial practices. It introduces a new prohibition against unconscionable conduct in trade, extends the unfair contract terms provisions to small trade contracts (currently they only apply to consumer contracts), and gives stronger consumer rights to get rid of ‘door knockers’.
Written by David Alizade, PARTNER on February 18th, 2020.
After a protracted political process, the UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020. A transition period is now in place until 31 December 2020, where the current trade rules, tariffs and tariff rate quotas will remain in place for NZ businesses. The current NZ/UK trading relationship will continue as it currently stands, while the countries negotiate their future trading relationship and hopefully finalise a free trade agreement by the end of the transition period.
Written by Darryl King, PARTNER; David Alizade, PARTNER; on February 18th, 2020.
Following changes to the Takeovers Code in January 2020, the Code no longer applies to widely held unlisted companies unless they are at least "medium sized". As a result of the changes, most SMEs will not be subject to the Code – regardless of how many shareholders they have. Click the link for a summary of the new test and the implications for you and your company.
Written by Darryl King, PARTNER; David Alizade, PARTNER on February 18th, 2020.
Moving into the “twenty-twenties” has provided scammers with a unique opportunity to forge documents and potentially defraud businesses. Click the link to read more...
Written by David Alizade, PARTNER on February 18th, 2020.
The Privacy Bill is in the final stages of the legislative process, but we do not know yet when it will be in force. Reform of the current Privacy Act 1993 is long overdue, and the changes proposed will affect all organisations doing business in NZ that collect, use or hold information on individuals in NZ. The key changes are…
Written by Glenn Finnigan, PARTNER on February 17th, 2020.
The Government has released a consultation document which tries to address the long-standing issue of “misclassifying” employees as contractors. This sometimes occurs because employers are ignorant of what constitutes a true principal/contractor relationship under the law. However sometimes it occurs as a deliberate attempt to deprive workers of key employment rights.
Written by Darryl King PARTNER on September 14th, 2019.
Online reviews have become an increasingly useful way for consumers to do their due diligence on a product or service before they buy. However, businesses need to be careful in their handling of user reviews to avoid a possible breach of consumer protection legislation. Set out below is a summary of what the law says and some guidance on how businesses can take steps to avoid breaching it.
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