house in field with fence

Not sure of your boundary?

All property owners, whether commercial or residential, must ensure that any structure on their property is located within its legal boundaries.

aerial view of city

Resource consents

The Resource Management Act 1991 places restrictions on how your land can be used; this is done by the issuing of consents. If you are a property owner, or you lease premises to operate your business, we explain the various types of consent that you may come across from time to time.

Gifford-Devine-Where there is a will, what is the way?

Where there is a will, what is the way?

A child (of whatever age) can make a claim against the estate of their parent under the Family Protection Act 1955 (FPA) if their parent dies and makes insufficient provision for them in their will. What happens, however, when a parent dies and their children aren’t aware of the fact? We also discuss the Law Commission’s report on succession law that has some specific recommendations for family claims on an estate.

caring for kiwis

Caring for Kiwis who cannot make decisions for themselves

Britney Spears’ conservatorship has now been formally ended. Since then, she has made a number of specific allegations against her conservators. We discuss how these issues would be dealt with in a New Zealand context.

Gifford-Devine-Gift or loan

Gift or loan?

The importance of properly documenting advances between family members. The trusty Kiwi “She’ll be right” approach is often manifested in a reluctance to formally document intra-family lending arrangements. In this article, we look at three different scenarios that are based on Maddy’s story.

Gifford Devine - Business Briefs

Business briefs

Charges against Bunnings dismissed; Directors found trading recklessly may face multiple fines; Important upcoming legislation drafted.

Gifford Devine - Grounding your jet-setters

Grounding your jet-setters

Since Covid appeared in New Zealand in early 2020, employers have navigated a variety of complex matters relating to vaccinations, vaccine passes, alert systems and workforce management.

Contractors

From a legal perspective, hiring contractors has always been tricky. The onus of correctly identifying who is an employee versus a contractor, and ensuring legal compliance, remains an employer’s responsibility.

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.

gifford-devine-‘Nuisance’ is still relevant in court

‘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.