Extension of the unfair contracts regime In 2015 New Zealand introduced an unfair contracts regime under the Fair Trading Act ( FTA ). This however, was limited to unfair standard form contracts between businesses and consumers. Now, the Government through the Fair Trading Amendment Bill ( the Bill More »

It was the employment law theme for 2020 and, just as we were beginning to get distracted by Fair Pay Agreements and changes to holidays legislation, here it comes again: the Employment Court has just decided that Ross Barry, the builder applicant in Barry v C I Builders Ltd [1] , was for three More »

The new employer accreditation regime will come into effect in late September 2021. This new scheme will be compulsory for any employers wishing to support migrants to obtain or renew work visas, from 1 November. Whilst these changes are important to all business operators, franchisees need to take More »

On Thursday 6 May 2021, the firm celebrated the opening of the Queenstown office with a party at Millbrook. Over 150 clients, referrers, friends of the firm and Duncan Cotterill employees attended the event which was a great success. Queenstown Lakes District mayor Jim Boult was the guest speaker. More »

The Supreme Court has just released its decision in Lambie Trustee Limited v Addleman [2021] NZSC 54, which sets out the rights of beneficiaries to access legally privileged trust documents. This provides useful clarity for lawyers providing advice to trustees as to which documents may be disclosed More »

In a recent decision, the Court of Appeal has confirmed that mesothelioma is a personal injury caused by an accident, and that people with mesothelioma are therefore entitled to ACC cover, whether or not it was contracted at work. Background Mesothelioma is a dreadful lung cancer, which is More »

The Incorporated Societies Bill passed its first reading on 6 April. It has now been referred to the Economic Development, Science and Innovation Committee and submissions are open until 28 May 2021. The Committee is due to report back to Parliament by 6 October 2021. It could be in force by the More »

As part of its aim to improve access to justice, the Rules Committee, the body responsible for the rules of procedure in New Zealand’s courts, has released a paper setting out suggested reforms for civil litigation across the High Court, District Court, and Disputes Tribunal. These proposals More »

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) finally released initial details about the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) category, and the corresponding Employer Accreditation scheme, on Friday 7 May. In brief, the AEWV Category replaces six existing work visa categories, including the commonly-used Essential More »