The Trust Act 2019
The Trusts Act 2019 (the Act) has recently been passed into law and comes into force on 30 January 2021. The Act modernises trust law and clarifies the duties of trustees. Some of the key changes are outlined below: Provision of Information to Beneficiaries There is a...
Stalking and Harassment. Do I need a restraining order?
Not seeing eye-to-eye with your neighbours? Got a stalker who will not leave you alone? Or maybe someone from the community won’t stop harassing you? If any of these scenarios sound familiar, you might need a restraining order. What is a restraining order? If you are...
Purchasing property from plans
In today’s property market, people often purchase townhouses, units or apartments off the plans as part of a development. These purchases involve signing a contract to purchase the property, at a time when the property has not been fully constructed. In many cases,...
Residential land withholding tax
What is Residential Land Withholding Tax and does it apply to you? Residential Land Withholding Tax (RLWT) is a tax deducted from residential property sales if the following applies: The property being sold is residential land in NZ. The sale amount is payable or paid...
Mediation in employment disputes. How it can help you.
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods are alternatives to going directly to court. Using an ADR method is usually more cost effective for all the parties involved, takes less time to resolve the dispute, and relieves the court of cases that can be resolved...
Trusts – A Summary
A trust is an arrangement where a person (Settlor) transfers assets to selected persons (Trustees) to be held for the benefit of persons named by the Settlor (Beneficiaries). A trust is usually established by way of a trust deed but can be created by less formal...
Speak no evil – settlement agreements are confidential
The Media love reporting on scandalous details of employment disputes that are before the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and Employment Court. They trumpet headlines like “Sacked worker who took worthless magazine gets $9,000”. However, many employers and...
Important Changes to the Building Act
Changes to the Building Act 2004 came into effect from 1 January 2015. The changes are designed to better protect clients and ensure they are informed. All builders completing new work worth more than $30,000.00 (including GST and materials) must now have a written...
New processes for helping parents resolve disputes about their children
The Ministry of Justice has introduced new processes for parents when they are resolving disputes about their children. Before parents can apply to the court regarding a dispute about care, or contact arrangements, or guardianship matters; parents must first complete...
Do you need help with an inheritance or Will dispute?
Family disputes over Wills and inheritances can quickly become expensive, time consuming and stressful. In some cases they can even destroy relationships forever. At ARL Lawyers our Dispute Resolution Team has experienced solicitors who will conduct negotiations to...
Student loans increased compliance sought
Changes to the student loan system were announced in this years’ budget. The Government stated that new initiatives were necessary to raise the level of repayments made by overseas-based borrowers and to target those who default by introducing penalties. As a result...
Estate planning residential care loans
One of the most vexing questions that we face as we get older is- ‘how will we provide for ourselves into our retirement?’ This naturally includes planning to ensure that we have sufficient funds to meet our costs should we be placed into long-term residential care or...
The marriage amendment act
The Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act comes in to force on Monday 19 August 2013. It will allow couples to marry, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, from that date. Before marrying, a Notice of Intended Marriage must be completed in person...
ARL Academic Scholarship Winner
Hutt Valley High School’s ARL Academic Excellence Scholarship was this year awarded to year 13 student, Madhuri Shenoy. Ms Shenoy, a resident of the Hutt Valley all her life, is delighted to be the recipient of this award. “This scholarship will help pay for my course...
ARL Lawyers finalists in the New Zealand Law Awards
ARL Lawyers are delighted to announce they are finalists in the 2012 Law Awards. They have been nominated for a premier award in the Regional/Suburban Law Firm of the year category. Now in its eighth year, the awards are the highlight of the New Zealand legal...
Parliament to debate paid parental leave
In general, parents currently have the right to request one continuous period of paid parental leave for up to a maximum of 14 weeks. Sue Moroney MP, Labour, proposes to increase paid parental leave from 14 weeks to 26 weeks. Part of the proposal is to stage the...
Should New Zealand have more public holidays?
Whether Waitaingi Day and ANZAC Day should be ‘Mondayised’ has long since been debated. The matter is currently before Parliament in the form of the Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day) Amendment Bill. Essentially, if assented to, the proposed...
Updates on Immigration Law
Family Categories Applicants seeking permanent residence in New Zealand under the family categories, face major policy changes. As at 16 May 2012 the Sibling and Adult Child category ceased to exist. This effectively bars parents who have become New Zealand permanent...
The importance of written Employment Agreements
Employers should by now be aware that from July 2011, it became mandatory for employers to retain Individual Employment Agreements for all current employees. However, when assisting both employers and employees in employment matters, we are still encountering a...
Changes to the Charities Act
Are you a member of the board of a charitable organisation? If your charity is registered with the Charities Commission, there are important changes to the Act which affect officers and which all charities should be aware of. If your organisation runs as an...