If you are the father of a child, you may think that you
automatically have a say in your child's upbringing (such as
schooling, religion, where they live etc) however that may not be
the case. Legally you only get a say in your child's life if you
are their legal guardian.
By Surendra Bennett - 14 Jun 2018
read article 
In their advancing years, many people come to rely on the
support, services and affection of others. Often this support is
not from family members. In such instances many people make or
imply promises that they will look after the service provider in
their will. The promises are more often than not made to secure the
benefits supplied, but can be made simply as a reward or 'gesture
of gratitude' for the services supplied.
By Andrew Steele - 18 May 2018
read article 
The storm in Auckland on 10 April
caught many people unaware. Trees caused carnage in many
neighbourhoods - cutting power lines, falling on parked cars and
destroying homes. In fact, many people are now looking at leafy
inner city suburbs with fresh eyes. Could we have been growing our
own 'weapons of mass destruction' all these years?
By Kiren Narayanan - 9 May 2018
read article 
The number of people divorcing aged
50+ is on the increase. These couples are sometimes referred to as
'Silver Splitters'. Life really can begin again at this age, where
you meet someone new and settle down once again. Life may be
wonderful during the honeymoon period and the thought that another
relationship might fail often never enters your mind. Discussions
around money and assets can be seen as unromantic and even
offensive!
By Surendra Bennett - 5 Apr 2018
read article 
The government is to introduce a ban on foreign buyers from
buying existing dwellings. What could this mean for developers?
By Steven Lee - 14 Dec 2017
read article 
While the 'parent settlors' of a family trust are alive
and have their mental capacity, the issue of monitoring what the
trust is doing is not an issue. But once the parents die or lose
capacity and the administration of the trust transfers to the
'professional trustees', it often becomes the task of the children
to ensure that the trustees act reasonably, competently and are
held to account for their decisions. But how?
By Andrew Steele - 8 Sep 2017
read article 
There are several hundred thousand family trusts in New
Zealand. These often hold the financial 'nest egg' of aging
settlors concerned ultimately to protect their assets during their
lifetime and ultimately to benefit their children. While the
'parent settlors' are fit and healthy, the terms of trust usually
ensure the trust assets are under their supervision and are often
the trustees. The 'independent trustee', where present, is often
relegated to a relatively benign role of simply reviewing and
approving their co-trustees preferred course of action with regards
to investment and distributions. From the settlor's children's
perspective that's fine - after all - they often don't understand
the distinction between assets that have been transferred into a
trust and the parent's personal property.
By Andrew Steele and Timothy Orr - 30 Aug 2017
read article 
Significant changes coming into force on 16 March affecting new
Enduring Powers of Attorney
By Hess Chung - 13 Mar 2017
read article 
Those living in (or considering) a retirement village may have
been disturbed by a recent NZ Herald article on the subject. It
highlighted a series of leaky buildings that have been discovered
in otherwise well-regarded retirement villages across the
country.
By Hess Chung - 3 Feb 2017
read article 
Do you run a website or app on which people can send
messages or post information? Could the messages / information
cause harm to another? The new civil complaints regime under
the Harmful Digital Communications Act comes into force on 21
November 2016 and you need to be prepared.
By Michael Finucane - 11 Nov 2016
read article