Over the fence

A new pathway for migrant workers to gain residency was introduced on 29 September 2021 by Immigration Minister, the Hon Kris Faafoi. This is a one-off resident visa that is targeted for up to 165,000 migrants — including around 9,000 primary industry workers.

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‘Nuisance’ is still relevant in court

Many of us are familiar with the tort of negligence — an act or omission by one party that causes loss to another party. Inherent in a negligence claim is the concept of ‘fault’. A recent case illustrates why nuisance, a tort similar to negligence except that fault is not necessary, is still relevant.

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Water Services Act 2021

Although the government’s proposed Three Waters Reform Programme has been very much centre-stage recently, there is an important new statute regarding water that will impact on the rural community.

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Property briefs – Summer 2021

The country is now out of its second lockdown with Auckland and parts of the Waikato in Level 3 with the rest of the country sitting at Level 2. Given the current uncertainty with how we can get on top of the Delta strain outbreak, let’s have a look at where this leaves us and our property dealings across differing alert levels.

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Caveats

The Latin word ‘caveat’ literally translates to ‘let him beware’. In a legal sense, caveats are generally used to protect the proprietary rights of the person registering the caveat by stopping the registered owner of the property from transferring, mortgaging or otherwise dealing with the property.

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Disputes in contracts

Welcome to the Summer 2021 edition of Property Speaking, and the last issue for the year.

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Business briefs

Topics covered in this article: unfair contract terms regime extended to small business contracts; new sick leave provisions; changes to the retention money regime for construction contracts.

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Lease vs licence

Leases and licences are common contractual arrangements. Although both are similar, there are crucial differences between them which can have significant implications for anyone who owns or occupies commercial premises.

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Bonding agreements

Bonding agreements can be an incredibly useful tool for ensuring employers can recoup costs incurred for training staff.

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Britney Spears’ conservatorship

The American entertainer Britney Spears’ conservatorship has recently been in the headlines. She is asking American courts to reconsider the conservatorship which has been in place for some years.