News and views

The new travel restrictions introduced by the New Zealand government highlight the new reality facing many businesses and communities. The situation is fast-moving and with the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 increasing, the government has introduced new measures to `flatten the curve’.

An ongoing dispute for the MANUKA HONEY trade mark demonstrates the importance of identifying your intellectual property (IP) and protecting that IP in the markets in which you trade.

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?

The devastating gas explosion that rocked a quiet Christchurch street earlier this year made me think about Public Liability insurance. My first thoughts were obviously with the family and the neighbours affected by the blast but being a typical lawyer I couldn't help wonder if the gas contractor had Public Liability insurance.

It was quite the surreal situation ... the former Prime Minister in the dock – not as a star witness, but as a defendant. How paradoxical that such an accomplished luminary – someone who’d once run the entire country – was accused of failing so terribly in her governance of a construction company.

A 2018 Court of Appeal decision[1] has made a director liable for almost $500,000 of company debt due to the company’s failure to keep adequate accounting records.

The recent collapses of construction companies have taken many in the industry by surprise, particularly subcontractors who were owed retention moneys.

It’s an exciting time watching your business really take off and hit its straps – although, that excitement is usually balanced by the reality of the new challenges and responsibilities that invariably come with growth.