Late last year the Supreme Court quashed Peter Ellis’ multiple 1993 convictions of sexual offending against children who had attended the Christchurch crèche where he was a teacher. His 1994 and 1999 appeals to the Court of Appeal had been unsuccessful. In July 2019, the Supreme Court granted leave to appeal the Court of Appeal decisions giving an extension of time to do so.
However, Mr Ellis died in September 2019 before the Supreme Court heard his case. Usually, an appeal dies with an appellant.
Budget 2023
A commentary on the 2023 Budget delivered by the Minister of Finance on 18 May.
Over the fence
Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Freshwater) Regulations 2020 now amended; Affordable Water Reform replaces Three Waters; Cyclone Gabrielle: animal welfare management
Leased land impacted by Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle
The damage caused to land by the recent weather events across New Zealand has raised concerns about the ongoing viability of leased land that has been impacted by these storms.
Severe Weather Emergency Legislation Act 2023
The severe weather events this year, in particular Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle, highlighted the need to amend some legislation to assist recovery and improve resilience for areas that have been impacted.
Property briefs
In today’s property brief: Update on legislation; Changes to LIM information; Replacement of the Resource Management Act 1991.
Subdivision consents
In the Autumn 2022 edition of Property Speaking we discussed different types of resource consents. Since then, the government has released a new National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL), which you can read here.
Storm damage to properties
With historic amounts of rain and flooding in many regions, this year has so far been challenging for many communities in the North Island. It is anticipated that these extreme weather events are likely to become more frequent in the future.
Tikanga in the law of Aotearoa New Zealand
Late last year the Supreme Court quashed Peter Ellis’ multiple 1993 convictions of sexual offending against children who had attended the Christchurch crèche where he was a teacher. His 1994 and 1999 appeals to the Court of Appeal had been unsuccessful. In July 2019, the Supreme Court granted leave to appeal the Court of Appeal decisions giving an extension of time to do so.
However, Mr Ellis died in September 2019 before the Supreme Court heard his case. Usually, an appeal dies with an appellant.
Who are the ‘children of the settlors’?
In the recent case of Re Merona Trustees Ltd, the High Court was asked to determine who the beneficiaries of a trust were as it was not clear who was intended by the phrase the ‘children of the settlors’ that was in the trust deed.
Who really wants to be a trustee?
Are you a trustee of a family trust, or considering becoming one? If so, you need to be familiar with the obligations you are taking on when agreeing to act as a trustee. You should also have a clear understanding of the risks that you are exposed to when you agree to act as a trustee.