News and views

For many people a gift by Will (also known as a legacy) from a relative or friend can be very significant – both personally and financially.

There’s something quite special about farming families, particularly those whose relationship with the land is first and foremost a love, rather than business, affair.

In February the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017 (CCLA) was enacted which has repealed a number of commercial statutes and consolidate them in the CCLA. It came into force on 1 September 2017.

If you ask people, as I have, what they understand a family lawyer’s key role to be, chances are the answer will revolve around filing oodles of divorce applications – something I, indeed, do … every now and then.

Recent surveys show the skilled worker shortage is one the biggest concerns for employers in the Central Otago-Lakes area, with the farming, hospitality and tourism sectors particularly reliant on migrants to meet their staffing needs.

There’s no doubting it, the Airbnb phenomenon has truly bedded in, and, much like Facebook, is such an intrinsic part of modern-day culture, it’s hard to believe it launched less than a decade ago.

Recently, I wrote a piece on one of the biggest neighbourly niggles around – fences.

Few acts in our lifetime require more trust than giving another person the right to legally act on our behalf. And, there can be few more onerous responsibilities than taking on that significant duty.