The main purpose of having a witness to a document is to authenticate that the person signing was in fact the person noted on the document. The implementation of electronic signatures was already common practice and with the advancement of technology, was always likely to increase in use. In New More »

There is a presumption often made by the will maker that they can leave the chattels they have to the executors and the family to sort out once they have died. A generic chattels clause is inserted in the will and the rest is left to chance. Let it be known that chattels division issues cause a More »

The announcement of the Trans-Tasman Bubble was celebrated on both sides of the Tasman, but the softening of border control measures brings a level of uncertainly and a new wave of COVID-19 related questions for employers. Here our employment team provide some guidance on what employers can and More »

We recently provided an article on the impact of COVID-19 restrictions, Ports of Auckland delays and spike in construction activity on the supply of building materials and shortage issues that were developing. Further reports this week have shown that this situation is worsening and is likely to be More »

Yesterday, the Government announced a range of measures designed to address supply and demand in the housing market, including a number of tax changes. In a significant departure from previous practice some of these tax changes were announced as having almost immediate effect, including: The More »

Duncan Cotterill is a member of TerraLex, one of the largest legal networks in the world, providing access to more than 19,000 legal professionals world-wide. Our role in this global network means we can provide our international clients with easy access to specialised local expertise in almost any More »

So far, initial views on the changes proposed by the Holidays Act Taskforce to the calculation of annual leave (AL) seem to be mixed. Some feel that the proposals will deliver much needed certainty for employers, while others feel that the Taskforce may have missed a golden opportunity to make the More »

The current primary legislation for holidays and leave is the Holidays Act 2003. However, not only is this Act considered to be outdated, it has also long been criticised for its complexity. In 2018, the Government appointed a taskforce to review the legislation and recommend changes, and the More »

Recognising the critical role that our border workforce play in keeping us safe, you will have seen that the government has announced that the Ministry of Health will be rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine to border workers and their families from this weekend. The question that some (border workforce More »