News and views

With the summer season now in full swing, we remind you of a number of changes in the Animal Welfare (Care and Procedures) Regulations 2018. These were mostly minor changes to existing regulations, although some entirely new regulations have also been introduced.

Freedom Camping has become a divisive issue in recent years with many overseas visitors flocking to New Zealand to take advantage of our previously lax laws and many locals fed up with the lack of regulations.

New Zealand has become a Mecca for travellers from all over the world, drawn here by our incredible scenery and adventure-filled lifestyle. But many of the people who come here on tourist visas end up working on farms and orchards, or in bars and backpackers.

Buying a house is one of the major milestones in many people’s lives, right up there with getting married, having a baby, and retiring. Signing on the dotted line of a Sale and Purchase Agreement is a momentous occasion for most people.

As the year draws to a close, getting your head around yet more changes to the law doesn’t seem like a really festive thing to do. Unfortunately, the government has decided to signal that more changes are on the way to the Residential Tenancies Act in the New Year. The changes notified will affect landlords and tenants across the country.

The rural fires of last summer are a reminder of the risk of fire to our communities. The cause of the blaze in the Nelson region, one of New Zealand’s largest plantation fires, was attributed to a spark caused when farm equipment hit a stone. This leads to the question – who is liable for the cost of fighting a rural fire?

​Restraint of trade clauses are common in the sale and purchase of a business and in some employment agreements. In a business context, they offer protection to a buyer who has acquired a business and prevent the seller from directly competing against the buyer. A restraint provision in an employment context is designed to protect the employer’s business interests when key employees leave. There’s a general perception that these clauses are difficult to enforce, so why bother?​​