News and views

It has been estimated that there are between 300,000-500,000 trusts in this country. Trusts have been established for many different reasons, including estate planning, creditor protection, to ensure access to rest home subsidies, tax benefits or for protection from relationship property claims.

Invercargill City Council’s decision earlier this year to abruptly close the Southland Museum and Art Gallery shone the spotlight back on earthquake strengthening, and serves as a reminder to all owners and occupiers of commercial buildings of the new laws now at play.

If you have a family trust set up a number of years ago, it’s good practice to review it to ensure it is still ‘fit for purpose’. Leading on from that is the question that is often asked of us, “Should I bring my trust to an end?”

Julia Hunt, our trainee Legal Executive, has just received her results for her final New Zealand Diploma in Legal Executive Studies exams - straight A-plusses, no less.

Somebody pinch me. Seriously, November … already? Sure enough, we’re careering headlong into that time of to-do lists rivalling Santa’s and accelerators pressed hard to the floor at work and home.

While most people are aware they need a Will, and might have given clear directions as to how they wish their business duties to be dealt with after they pass, many don’t give a second thought to how their business would fare if they were suddenly mentally incapacitated.

Our ability to access the ‘great outdoors’ in New Zealand is seen as something of a citizen’s right. At times, however, It does conflict with the rights of private landowners when, in order to access the great outdoors, there is a need to cross their private land first.