We are all acutely aware of the current housing shortage in New Zealand and particularly the need for good quality affordable homes. The recent uptake in use of prefabricated building products in residential construction is a good solution to not only ease the housing shortage but also drastically More »

Reports this week have shown that the COVID-19 restrictions are continuing to have an impact on the construction industry. When the national lockdown was imposed last year we, and others, commented that one of the effects of that, along with the imposition of border restrictions and the global More »

Aotearoa New Zealand does not have legislation that provides a framework for class actions or commercial litigation funding. In the absence of formal frameworks, the courts and opposing parties have sought to navigate these two issues and establish rules for much of the past decade. However, the More »

With the Government’s announcement to extend paid sick leave, what other employment reforms are in the pipeline, and what should you be doing now to prepare? Between 2017 and 2020, the Government made a series of changes to workplace-related legislation. In the 2020 election campaign, Labour More »

Insurance is absolutely crucial, and when borrowing from lenders to complete a house purchase, it is compulsory. Lenders will not allow a loan drawdown without written confirmation that appropriate and sufficient insurance cover is in place. Usually there is replacement insurance relating to fire, More »

A sole trader is a common ownership structure that can be used to operate a small business. The main operator of the business may be one person, supported by a family member such as a spouse. Operating a business may be risky if the right asset protection and insurance is not in place to support More »

Cyber security breaches are now so prevalent, they almost seem an everyday occurrence. Those security breaches that place personal information in jeopardy tend to be particularly newsworthy, because the harm becomes particularly human (privacy is, after all, a human right). The new Privacy Act 2020 More »

The Court of Appeal has, for the first time, considered an appeal of a sentencing under the Fair Trading Act 1986 ( FTA ) in Commerce Commission v Steel & Tube Holdings Ltd [2020] NZCA 549. The original charges related to false and misleading statements about Steel & Tube’s steel mesh More »