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Pro Legal
Do you need a Trust?
It’s no secret that Kiwi’s have long loved trusts. It is estimated that there are currently between 300,000 and 500,000 trusts in New Zealand. But why the obsession? And is there still the same love for trusts that there once was? Trusts have always been a useful tool for asset protection and estate planning. Asset Protection Historically, one of the...
Pro Legal
Small Trade Contracts: What you need to know moving forward
The Fair Trading Amendment Act 2021 comes into force in August 2022 and this will place new obligations on businesses while providing new protections for consumers and small businesses. The key change is that “standard form small trade contracts” will now be subject to the unfair contract principle. To understand the significance of this change we first need to identify...
Pro Legal
Return of the Brains trust
If there is a silver lining when talking about the global COVID-19 pandemic, it has to be the return to our shores of thousands of highly skilled Kiwis. For years, New Zealand has been a casualty of what has been termed ‘brain drain’, as highly qualified New Zealanders left in search of opportunities aboard. Recent figures show that over 50,000...
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Putting your best foot forward in a booming property market
By Anna Bernie The COVID-19 pandemic has created a great deal of economic uncertainty both globally and in New Zealand.  During the lockdown in April and May 2020 we were all questioning how the housing market would be impacted. Contrary to the expectations of some commentators, the NZ housing market has been booming since the end of lockdown.  Whether this...
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Expanding your business? Proceed carefully …
It’s great to see Hawke’s Bay’s economy steaming ahead and to notice lots of positive signs that our business environment is thriving.As your business improves and demand increases you may be thinking about expanding by hiring new staff. Before you start making offers however there have been a number of changes to employment law recently that you need to be...
Pro Legal
Expect the best, plan for the worst and prepare to be surprised
It is important for every business to have formal Terms of Trade. When comparing large businesses to small, it’s fair to say the larger the business the more likely it will have written Terms of Trade. While there may be some who have operated for a substantial amount of time without written Terms of Trade and have never had cause...