News

The New Zealand Bar Association is offering a seminar in civil litigation next Tuesday, 22 May 2012. The Association says the seminar will be of interest to litigators at any level and will cover advocacy in the civil context from the perspective of the Bench, Bar and experts. Speakers include...

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The Commerce Commission has completed its investigation into the joint venture between Television New Zealand Limited (TVNZ) and Sky Network Television Limited (Sky) finding the pay TV market will not be less competitive as a result of the venture. In November 2011, TVNZ entered into a joint...

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Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson has announced a package of measures that will extend workers’ rights to request flexible working hours and ensure a fair and flexible collective bargaining environment. The changes include: A return to the original position in the...

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Tintin's adventures in the Belgium courts have ended in freedom for Tintin and disappointment for a man who sought to ban the continued publication, distribution and sale of the books. A Congolese national had sought the injunction on the grounds that the publications banned Belgium's anti racism...

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Four outstanding members of the in-house legal profession were acknowledged at the 25th annual CLANZ conference in Queenstown on 11 May 2012. CLANZ, the in-house section of the New Zealand Law Society, awarded prizes for top in-house lawyers in the private, public, community and youth...

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The New Zealand Law Society is concerned that proposed reforms in the Law Commission’s issues paper, Alternative Pre-Trial and Trial Processes: Possible reforms, would erode an accused’s rights within the criminal justice process. The difficulty with any reform that promotes...

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Justice Minister Judith Collins has asked the Law Commission to fast-track its recommendations for reducing the harm caused by cyber-bullying. Ms Collins says the Government is extremely concerned about the growing incidence of this abhorrent bullying and the devastating effects it can have on...

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New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) is working well overall, says Climate Change Issues Minister Tim Groser. Speaking at the opening of a carbon sink forest in Marlborough owned by NZ Carbon Farming, Mr Groser says that the NZ ETS was creating the desired shift towards...

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Unions will be legally bound to carry out a secret ballot to approve strikes after a bill sponsored by National MP Tau Henare was approved by one vote in Parliament. The private member's bill passed its third reading this evening with 61 votes in favour and 60 against. Mr Henare, a former...

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The jury in the Oracle-Google trial was deadlocked on a key question: did Google's use of Java to build its Android mobile operating system amount to "fair use"? It decided that android does infringe on key Java copyrights, but disagreed on whether Google's actions could be said to be...

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A family court Judge's crusade to shore up the institution of marriage is attracting criticism for its failure to address real issues. Sir Paul Coleridge feels that marriage breakdown has reached epidemic proportions and that people are too willing to abandon their commitments to each other....

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A UK barrister who completed her pupillage in the 1980's was depressed to read an article that suggested that sexism was clearly still alive and well at the bar. However, the bar has come on by leaps and bounds since the 1980's. The number of women who achieve pupillage has increased...

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The UK government is introducing legislation that would favour shared custody arrangements. It is likely to gain huge public support as it seems logical and fair, especially if it corrects an imbalance in a court system that unfairly rules against fathers. But, the problem is, there is no...

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The current drug testing regime for drivers will not be changed, Associate Transport Minster Simon Bridges has announced following a Government review of the law. Mr Bridges says there is good evidence that the current regime is working well. “Over 500 drivers have tested positive for...

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The Child Support Amendment Bill now before Parliament is the culmination of “the most major review of the Child Support scheme since its inception”, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne told Parliament at the Bill’s first reading today. He said issues of fairness had come to dog the...

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Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today announced further support for international efforts in Syria, including an offer to deploy additional military observers. New Zealand has offered the UN’s Supervision Mission in Syria a team of five New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel....

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Acting Transport Minister Steven Joyce today welcomed the draft approval of Transmission Gully by an independent Board of Inquiry under the Government’s national consenting process with the Environmental Protection Authority. “The Board of Inquiry's draft decision to approve the...

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Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson has welcomed the conviction of an endangered gecko smuggler but says tougher penalties are needed. German visitor Andreas Hahn was sentenced to a four month jail term in the Christchurch District Court today after taking four endangered jewelled geckos from...

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The Commission received more than 70 formal submissions on its paper, "The News Media meets ‘new media’; rights, responsibilities and regulation in the digital age". Many more contributed through online discussions, including forums hosted on current affairs blog sites...

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The Ministry of Justice has agreed to hold a further round of good faith negotiations with the New Zealand Law Society to improve the workability of the new legal aid provider contract. Under the agreement, a new version will now need to be finalised by 8 June. Law Society President...

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Parts of a policy proposal for regulations under the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011 might go beyond the scope of sections of the Act, according to the New Zealand Law Society. This view is expressed in the Law Society’s submission on the Ministry of Justice consultation...

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The New Zealand Law Society has told the Ministry of Justice that it was not given enough time to look at Family and ACC legal aid fixed fee forms. In its comments to the ministry on the forms, the Law Society says an opportunity to comment is always appreciated, but this needs to occur within...

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The Government has today launched a website to provide New Zealanders with information about the Government’s mixed ownership programme. State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall says the new website, www.governmentshareoffers.govt.nz, will give New Zealanders factual information about...

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Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson has welcomed Parliament’s passing of the Crown Pastoral Land (Rent for Pastoral Leases) Amendment Act yesterday. “This Act is a significant reform of the way rents are charged on pastoral leases in the South Island high country and will...

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A Bill to extend the applicability of the Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims Act 2005 for a further year passed its first reading in Parliament today. The Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims (2012 Expiry and Application Dates) Amendment Bill extends sunset clauses in the 2005...

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The New Zealand and the United States governments have signed an agreement to do all they can to stop human trafficking in the Pacific. The agreement was signed in Wellington by the Minister of Immigration, Nathan Guy, and the visiting Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, Janet...

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Consumer protection measures for New Zealanders building or renovating their homes are closer after Building Amendment Bill (No 4) passed its first reading in Parliament yesterday. The Bill is the companion to the Building Amendment Act 2012 which came into force on 13 March 2012. It provides...

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The Treaty of Waitangi settlements process is restorative justice in action says Māori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples. Speaking at the launch of JustSpeak’s paper on Māori and the Criminal Justice System, he recalled the recent settlement of five Treaty of Waitangi claims....

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After a long fight and a knife-edge vote in the Lords last week, the (UK) Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (Laspo) was assented. A significant number of people will no longer qualify for legal aid. It is unlikely that the not for profit sector (including citizen's advice...

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UK MPs, inquiring into the phone hacking scandal, have levelled accusations of "wilful blindness" at the Murdochs and directors of their news companies. This is a damning finding at a time when News Corporation is facing an investigation under the US Foreign and Corrupt Practices Act....

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A UK court has ordered the ISPs to block the Pirate Bay website using technology originally intended to block child pornography sites.The ruling places the cost of punishing the web site for its copyright infringements on the ISPs.and more crucially, the ban won't work.The site can easily be...

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Did Google violate Oracle's copyright on parts of the Java programming language? Jurors began to deliberate on that question on 30 April 2012. Oracle, in its US$1 bn claim, alleges that Google's Android mobile platform violated its patents and copyright to Java. Google denies infringement,...

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A decision by an employee to post sexually offensive remarks about a co-worker on his Facebook page hascost him his job. Although the co-worker didn't see the content herself, she was told about it and a concerned colleague reported the incident. A tribunal in Belfast said that the Facebook posts...

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The conviction of the former president of Liberia sent two messages to world leaders: leaders of small, weak nations will be subject to the full force of international law; and leaders of powerful nations have nothing to fear. This is evident from the fact that no one has faced any legal...

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A family court judge in the UK has launched a campaign to save marriage. Sir Paul Coleridge blames the divorce epidemic on Hollywood style marriages. He claims that his perspective as a judge allows him to see the truth of divorce. The problem with this is that he only sees a particular type of...

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Probation and parole are intended to be an alternative to incarceration. An overburdened system means that instead they simply act as a feeder system, according to a recent US report. Parole violators accounted for over a third of all prison admissions in 2005 and "half the US jail...

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Owners of Wellington’s Settlement Building were fined $24,000 today after the employees of the demolition contractor they engaged were exposed to asbestos fibres and live electricity while working on the inner city site in January last year. The Wellington District Court heard that...

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Legal difficulties with exercise of the power to remove land from Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 should be addressed, the New Zealand Law Society says. The Law Society has released its comments on the Ministry of Economic Development’s Review of the Crown Minerals Act 1991...

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Changes to the Alcohol Reform Bill, set to return to Parliament for final consideration next month, aim to drive a change in our drinking culture, says Justice Minister Judith Collins. Ms Collins says the Bill contains a broad set of measures to reduce alcohol-related harm in our communities....

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Revenue Minister Peter Dunne and Associate Minister of Social Development Chester Borrows today announced the signing of an Order in Council to expand information sharing between Inland Revenue and the Ministry of Social Development. Mr Dunne described the order as a positive and welcome step...

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A transitional auditor licencing scheme was welcomed by Commerce Minister Craig Foss when it came into force today. “Trustworthy and transparent auditing is essential to creating a culture that encourages Kiwis to invest,” says Mr Foss. The Auditor Regulation Act establishes a...

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Consumer Affairs Minister Simon Bridges has welcomed the Law Commission’s report on repossession laws. The Law Commission has recommended a range of changes to the Credit (Repossession) Act. It has also suggested incorporating changes to repossession law in the Government’s current...

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Measures are being introduced to deter a mass arrival of potentially illegal migrants into New Zealand, Immigration Minister Nathan Guy has announced today. “An amendment to the Immigration Act introduced into Parliament today contains strong measures to deter people smuggling, making...

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Consumer Affairs Minister Simon Bridges will begin a series of meetings on Monday to discuss tougher loan shark laws. The Minister will meet with community and industry groups in Wellington on Monday, followed by meetings in Auckland and Christchurch on 7 May, to discuss the draft Credit...

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The Law Commission is seeking public input into its review of the Evidence Act 2006 – the law which governs what information can be put before the court in criminal and civil trials. A five yearly review of the Act is required by law, providing an opportunity for the public and...

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The Financial Markets Authority today welcomed the High Court's sentencing of former Bridgecorp director Rodney Petricevic. CEO Sean Hughes said: "FMA welcomes this outcome and respects the Court's decision. It's notable that the sentence is at the higher end of the scale and reflects the...

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The Government intends to strengthen the Public Finance Act so there are more checks and balances on ministers’ spending decisions and their long-term effects, Finance Minister Bill English says. “The fiscal responsibility provisions of the Public Finance Act, which include a high...

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Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee says a new national airspace policy will give the aviation industry clarity on future development and modernisation of the country’s airspace. “This updated policy will future proof the airspace and air navigation system to ensure the safe and...

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The Wellington District Court has dismissed an appeal by Sean Wood against a Financial Markets Authority decision to decline his application for authorisation as an Authorised Financial Adviser (AFA). Mr Wood's application was declined by FMA on 21 October 2011 after he failed to disclose...

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Food manufacturing giant Sanitarium risks tarnishing its brand image through its dispute with a South Island shopkeeper whose store stocks the British equivalent of Weet-Bix, a branding expert says. Representatives of the firm this month visited English Bob's Emporium in Richmond, near Nelson,...

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