Trusts are often set up to protect family assets and are
administered by the family members themselves. While such trusts
may have lower administration costs than those involving
professional trustees, they are at higher risk of being impaired by
disputes between trustees.
By Tara Grant - 15 Nov 2012
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The towering 22 storey Spencer on Byron Hotel in Takapuna,
Auckland is a renowned luxury hotel 500 metres from Takapuna Beach
with panoramic views of Rangitoto Island, Auckland Harbour and the
Hauraki Gulf. It's perhaps the stand-out building on the
North Shore, but it's carried a dark secret. It's a "leaky
building".
By Andrew Steele - 12 Oct 2012
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The High Court recently confirmed that a claim could proceed
against Auckland Council when the only action within the claimable
ten-year period was issuing the code compliance certificate.
By Andrew Steele - 30 Aug 2012
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The High Court released its decision in the Auckland Council
v Blincoe & Ors claim yesterday. The decision is a victory
for home owners, as the High Court has confirmed that local
Councils should not have approved the use of sealant around
windows. The successful parties were represented by Martelli
McKegg and Grant Illingworth QC.
By - 14 Aug 2012
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Enforcement of bankruptcy overseas
The Insolvency (Cross-Border) Act has made the enforcement of
bankruptcy orders overseas more straight-forward.
We recently completed a court ordered sale of property owned in
New Zealand by an Australian bankrupt.
By Tony Johnson - 1 Aug 2012
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What to do if your employer pays you too much.
A nice problem to have you might think. In a recent case in the
Employment Court (Foai v Air New Zealand Ltd [2012] NZEmpC
57) the court ruled that an employee was entitled to keep some
$42,000 that he had received over and above the pay that he was
entitled to. He had received the money in good faith and altered
his lifestyle as a result. He even saw his child support payments
increased on the back of his higher pay.
By Claire Mansell - 26 Jul 2012
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The High Court recently ruled in our client's favour in a case
against the IRD.
We acted for a liquidator. Very shortly before (and soon
after) the liquidation, the IRD deducted various monies from the
company's bank account.
By Claire Mansell - 23 Jul 2012 - 1 comment
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Lisa Gerrard was interviewed by Auckland Today as part of their
'leaky building' feature. Lisa commented on the biggest challenges
facing owners of leaky buildings and the steps home owners should
take if they suspect they may have a leaky home.
By - 20 Jul 2012
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Many insurance policies contain exclusion clauses which seem
wide-reaching enough to bar many claims. However, a recent High
Court decision underlines the need to carefully examine the effect
of those clauses.
By - 25 Jun 2012
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In the recent Supreme Court decision of MacNamara v Auckland
Council & ORS the Court ruled in favour of the Council in
finding that they could not be held liable for accepting
certification from a private certifier, ABC certifiers, even though
the certifier's authority in relation to that type of house
construction had been revoked.
By Andrew Steele - 29 May 2012
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