Insights & Articles

Business Debt Hibernation - or Buying Time to Calm the Wolves at the Door

Business Debt Hibernation - or Buying Time to Calm the Wolves at the Door

Written by:
Craig Andrews
Introduction - This article highlights an important but little-noticed piece of New Zealand legislation hurriedly prepared and enacted in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Business Debt Hibernation scheme was created to help companies, partnerships, trusts, or incorporated societies established before 3 April 2020 to cope with and manage certain existing debts where those entities are unable to immediately pay those debts due to the impact of Covid-19, but where their prospects of payment in the future are much better.
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Reducing the Size of Your Staff?

Reducing the Size of Your Staff?

Written by:
Melissa Johnston
In the current Covid-19 environment we are seeing a significant increase in the number of redundancies. We have set out briefly below a few points to bear in mind if you are thinking about making roles redundant.
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Health and Safety Protocols for the Construction Industry - Covid-19 Alert Level 2

Health and Safety Protocols for the Construction Industry - Covid-19 Alert Level 2

Written by:
Craig Andrews
There is an important update on the health and safety requirements in the construction sector we wish to share with you if you have not yet been updated. Over the last few weeks, the situation with Covid-19 in New Zealand has noticeably improved. However, it is too soon to celebrate, and there is no room for complacency as we will still be under Covid-19 Alert Level 2, starting this Thursday 14 May 2020. It will remain critical, perhaps more than ever, for everyone in the construction industry to take all necessary steps to keep the virus under control until we are down to Alert Level 1.
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Obtaining an Enforceable Guarantee

Obtaining an Enforceable Guarantee

Written by:
Andrew Knight
There are many circumstances where businesses might give credit – even without formally doing so. Providing goods or performing services in advance of full payment is extremely common, but if a company or sole trader you are dealing with has financial problems or a poor credit history, then you may not get paid.
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Electronic Signing of Contracts

Electronic Signing of Contracts

Written by:
Andrew Knight
Part 4 of the Contracts and Commercial Law Act 2017 ("CCLA") provides that, with some few exceptions, where a signature is required by law (including to conclude a contract) you can sign that document electronically provided certain conditions are met. An electronic signature is defined in the CCLA as a method used to identify a person and to indicate that person's approval of that information.
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Leasing in a Post-Pandemic World

Leasing in a Post-Pandemic World

Written by:
Hamish Coupe
A New Normal - The impacts of the Covid-19 virus have been felt the world over and have pushed businesses to their limits. Parties on each side of a lease have been left with the job of negotiating through untested and uncertain lease clauses in a time where the support being offered by Government has been unclear and anyone who did hold insurance is discovering that 'pandemics' and 'infectious diseases' are a common policy exemption.
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Construction Contracts: Contractual Framework for Navigating Through Covid-19 Alert Level 4 (NZS 3910:2013, NZS 3915:2013, NZS 3916:2013 & NZS 3902:2004)

Construction Contracts: Contractual Framework for Navigating Through Covid-19 Alert Level 4 (NZS 3910:2013, NZS 3915:2013, NZS 3916:2013 & NZS 3902:2004)

Written by:
Craig Andrews
Parties to construction contracts, especially those contractors (and subcontractors) who are engaged to carry out particular contract works by an agreed due date for completion, may be exposed to penalties or "liquidated damages" if unable to carry on or complete those works during the Covid-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown.
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A time to reflect on estate/trust matters

A time to reflect on estate/trust matters

Written by:
James Varney
The current 'lockdown' is unprecedented. In times like these your first priority is to ensure you take care of yourselves, friends and family. However, while it is important to protect those close to you, you should also give consideration to the protection of your assets. Accordingly, it may be an opportune time to review your current estate planning to ensure everything is 'as you would like' and, if you have a trust, to make sure that it aligns with the provisions of the Trusts Act 2019 ("the Act") which was enacted this year but comes into force at the beginning of 2021.
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Hardship - Consumer Credit Contracts Under a Covid-19 Related Lockdown

Hardship - Consumer Credit Contracts Under a Covid-19 Related Lockdown

Written by:
Andrew Knight
Section 55 of the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003 ("CCCFA") provides that a person who is unable reasonably, because of illness, injury loss of employment, the end of a relationship, or other reasonable cause, to meet their obligations under a consumer credit contract and who reasonably expects to be able to discharge their obligations if the terms of the contract were changed as provided for under the CCCFA may apply to a creditor to agree to that change. In the present Covid-19 lockdown, we expect these provisions to be tested and both debtors and creditors need to know their rights and responsibilities in these sorts of situations.
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The Family Trust and the ‘Independent Trustee’

The Family Trust and the ‘Independent Trustee’

Written by:
Peter Fuscic
A trust exists to hold assets for a certain purpose. For an ‘ordinary’ family trust, commonly conceptualised as a ‘mum and dad’ trust, the ‘mum and dad’ settlors ordinarily transfer their main home to trustees to hold that property for the benefit of their immediate family group. In this scenario it is common for ‘mum and dad’ to be appointed as trustees. They are additionally named as discretionary beneficiaries to ensure they may benefit from the trust assets throughout their lifetimes as well.
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