Employers who were unable to access their premises during
level 4 lockdown had to grapple with their obligations to employees
who were unable to work from home. Many sought advice on this
either directly from legal professionals or from the flurry of
information that was flooding the online employment sphere at the
time.
By Aimee Elia - 9 Jul 2020
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The Privacy Bill passed its third reading in parliament
and will come into force on 1 December 2020, repealing and
replacing the Privacy Act 1993.
By Mike Worsnop and Tom Swindells - 6 Jul 2020
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If the executor of your Will or administrator of your estate is
an overseas person, they must apply to the Overseas Investment
Office for an exemption for any residential property to be
transmitted to them. Changes made in October 2018 to the Overseas
Investment Act 2005 (OIA) mean that an estate with an overseas
executor/administrator is likely to be affected by the regime.
By Steven Lee and Rika Louw - 15 Jun 2020
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Following on from last year's round of consultation, the
Government has recently introduced the proposed changes to the
Building Act. The Building (Building Products and Methods, Modular
Components and Other Matters) Amendment Bill has had its first
reading in Parliament and has now been sent to the Environment
Select Committee with submissions due by Friday 10 July
2020. The changes will be particularly important for building
product suppliers and manufacturers and the key changes are
summarised here.
Following on from last year's round of consultation, the
Government has recently introduced the proposed changes to the
Building Act. The Building (Building Products and Methods, Modular
Components and Other Matters) Amendment Bill has had its first
reading in Parliament and has now been sent to the Environment
Select Committee with submissions due by Friday 10 July 2020. The
changes will be particularly important for building product
suppliers and manufacturers and the key changes are summarised
below.
By Andrew Skinner - 8 Jun 2020
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There has been much debate regarding what a fair rental
reduction is under commercial leases where businesses have been
affected by COVID-19. The Government had previously done nothing to
assist either Landlords or Tenants in this situation.
This morning Government have announced a compulsory
rent dispute process where the Landlord and Tenant have been unable
to agree on a fair rent reduction during COVID-19 lockdown, which
requires compulsory arbitration with Government subsidising the
arbitration by about 75%.
By Melissa Higham - 3 Jun 2020
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As earlier signalled by the government, the Property Law Act has
now been amended to the extent that a borrower under a mortgage now
has 40 working days (previously 20 working days) after being served
with a Property Law Act Notice for breach of a loan agreement, to
remedy the breach.
By Tony Johnson - 1 Jun 2020
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With economists predicting a significant economic
recession, it may be tempting for business owners to start reducing
staff numbers. This will be particularly so for those businesses
who have been relying on the wage subsidy to pay their employees'
wages. However, it is unlikely that simply relying on a potential
looming recession will justify making employees redundant in the
eyes of the law.
By Claire Mansell - 25 May 2020
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Covid-19 has reduced the incomes of many and undermined
the value of the family home, business and investments. These
effects have made it especially challenging for separated couples
attempting to resolve their relationship property
issues.
By Dharsh Nanayakkara - 22 May 2020
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On 15 May 2020 the COVID-19 Response (Further Management
Measures) Legislation Act 2020 became law. This means that two key
insolvency measures aimed at addressing the serious insolvency
risks arising from the COVID-19 crisis - the "safe harbour" regime
and the "debt hibernation scheme" - are now effective in New
Zealand.
By Mathew Martin and Bill Gambrill - 19 May 2020
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The government's Wage Subsidy Scheme
is intended to assist businesses retain employees during the
COVID-19 crisis by helping the employer to fund those salaries and
wages. The scheme has now been extended for a further eight weeks
for businesses that meet the new, more stringent eligibility
criteria. Businesses will be able to apply for the extended subsidy
from 10 June 2020.
By Aimee Elia - 18 May 2020
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