Knowledge
Important Health & Safety Changes Ahead
Monday 7 April, 2025
Major health and safety reforms are on the horizon, including reduced liability for directors, clarified obligations for landowners, and simplified requirements for small businesses. These proposed changes aim to refocus efforts on managing critical risks and reduce unnecessary compliance burdens.
Rainbow Crossing Upheld by High Court
Friday 4 April, 2025
The High Court has upheld the legality of Wellington’s rainbow crossing, confirming that roadway art can serve both safety and symbolic purposes. The decision provides valuable guidance for road controlling authorities on interpreting the Traffic Control Devices Rule and ensuring compliance with both current and prior regulations.
RMA Reform: A New Planning Framework with Property Rights at its Core
Wednesday 26 March, 2025
The Government has released further details on its proposed Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) reform, building on signals made earlier this year and adopting recommendations from the Expert Advisory Group. The proposed framework aims to deliver what Minister Chris Bishop has described as a “radical transition to a far more liberal planning system with less red tape.”
Let's Combine Bylaws, Beaches, and Customary Interests
Thursday 20 March, 2025
In Hart v Marlborough District Council [2025] NZHC 47, the trustees of Te Runanga a Rangitāne o Wairau Trust, a charitable trust representing the Rangitāne o Wairau iwi, unsuccessfully challenged the lawfulness and procedural fairness of a decision by the Council to adopt the East Coast Beach Vehicle Bylaw 2023.
Rating Māori Land
Wednesday 19 March, 2025
A recent report on the use of the Local Government (Rating of Whenua Maori) Amendment Act 2021 to successfully relieve a landowner of an overwhelming historic rates burden has brought this piece of legislation to mind.
The art of copyright treatment in relationship breakups
Friday 14 March, 2025
The Supreme Court’s decision in Alalääkkölä v Palmer confirms that copyrights are property for the purposes of the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 (PRA) and they may also be relationship property. This decision examines the unique nature of copyright and highlights the importance of having a ‘contracting out’ agreement when it comes to preserving your rights in intellectual property in the event of a relationship breakdown.