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UN experts concerned over government-imposed limits on freedom of expression (3 February 2011) (Intl)
United Nations
A group of United Nations independent human rights experts today voiced alarm at limits imposed by governments on the right to freedom of expression and information, saying recent mass protests in several countries were the result of frustrations by people who felt ignored or neglected....
Human Rights
Five myths about the European court of human rights (7 February 2011) (NZ)
guardian.co.uk
The row over giving prisoners the right to vote has revived many scare stories – but what is the truth about the ECHR? Jean Paul Costa, president of the European court of human rights, emphasises that states have some latitude to interpret judgments on their own terms. In the midst...
Environment, Resource Management
Tidal power station for Kaipara approved (8 February, 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
More than half a billion dollars will be spent on sinking tidal power turbines to the seabed of the Kaipara Harbour after the approval of New Zealand's first tide-driven power station. But the Environment Court has set conditions of consent for the project after a year of mediation among four...
Banking and Finance, Insolvency
Bridgecorp receivers waive appeal(8 February 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
Bridgecorp's receivers will not appeal a decision that has ordered it to provide $30,000 in security before its subsidiary Navigator Finance takes the Petricevic family trust to court this month. Navigator is taking the R.M. Petricevic Family Trust to court over a $2.2 million advance it...
Banking and Finance, Commercial
Southern Cross Finance to refund almost $700,000 in unreasonable loan establishment fees (3 February 2011) (NZ)
Commerce Commission
In a settlement with the Commerce Commission, Southern Cross Finance Limited has admitted charging unreasonable loan establishment fees and will refund just under $700,000 to 250 customers it overcharged between July 2006 and October 2009. The Commission investigated Southern Cross Finance, a...
Immigration
Interim visa smoothes process for migrants (7 February 2011) (NZ)
beehive.govt.nz
New interim visas which benefit migrants, employers and foreign students come into effect today. ‘’Previously there have been issues with people having their immigration status lapse while waiting for a visa to be processed,’’ says Immigration Minister Dr Jonathan...
Fair Trading
Court penalises wholesaler for "cruel deception" on free range eggs (4 February 2011) (AUS)
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
Following Australian Competition and Consumer Commission action, the Federal Court has declared that Western Australian wholesalers C.I. & Co Pty Ltd, and Antonio Pisano and Anna Pisano misled the public by labelling and selling cartons of eggs labelled 'free range' when a substantial...
Banking and Finance
Discussion paper - periodic reporting requirements for retail KiwiSaver schemes(3 February 2011) (NZ)
Kensington Swan
The discussion paper, 'Periodic Reporting Regulations for Retail KiwiSaver Schemes' will form the basis of new periodic reporting requirements for retail KiwiSaver schemes, which we expect will eventually be expanded to cover other collective investment vehicles. We outline some of the key...
Resource Management
Designers to lower towers on motorways project (7 February 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
Transport Agency designers have agreed with opponents of the $1.75 billion Waterview motorways project that the height of proposed towers for venting vehicle emissions from tunnels should be reduced. Their agreement, from a meeting of expert witnesses, will be reported to a...
Wills
Digital Legacy checklist and information on web service policies (7 February 2011) (NZ)
New Zealand Law Society
Many New Zealanders now have a growing collection of “digital assets” – personal information they have created and stored online as text and photos on social media websites, emails, blog posts and even avatars in online games. Many wills note what should happen to a...
Wills
Law Society says to consider “digital legacy” when making a will (7 February 2011) (NZ)
New Zealand Law Society
New Zealanders making a will are being advised to consider what will happen to information stored about them on the internet. The chair of the New Zealand Law Society’s Property Law Section, Chris Moore, says people are storing ever-larger amounts of information online but seldom...
Environment
Judge rules against developer (3 February 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
The High Court has overturned an award of $48,000 to a developer who complained that the former Auckland Regional Council went out of its way to stop an airfield being revamped on Waiheke Island. Waiheke Island Airpark Resort was awarded costs after it won a case in the Environment Court...
Wills
Row over Hillary watches goes to court next month (7 February 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
A family row over a watch collection once owned by Sir Edmund Hillary is due in court next month.The legendary mountaineer's son Peter said he had not talked to his stepmother, June, Lady Hillary, since he and his sister Sarah Hillary won a court injunction last year forcing Lady Hillary to...
Banking and Finance
Bank denies claims it was complicit in Madoff fraud (5 February 2011) (USA)
NZ Herald
Emails and other internal documents show that executives at JP Morgan Chase were complicit in Bernard Madoff's fraud, says lawyers seeking to recover funds for his victims. The lawyers work for a court-appointed trustee who filed a US$6.4 billion ($8.4 billion) complaint under seal late last...
Criminal Procedure
Petricevic trust wins $30,000 costs fight (4 February 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
Bridgecorp's receivers have been ordered to secure costs of $30,000 before its case against Rod Petricevic's family trust begins, a court judgment revealed today. Bridgecorp, on behalf of its subsidiary Navigator Finance, has taken action against the trust over a $2.2 million advance it is...
Criminal
Government doubles one-off grant for victims of sexual violence (3 February 2011) (NZ)
beehive.govt.nz
The discretionary grant for victims of sexual violence has been increased from $250 to $500, Justice Minister Simon Power announced today. The grant helps victims of sexual violence cover one-off costs associated with offending, such as repairing locks, replacing items of clothing taken for...
Law Practitioners
Access to EPIC databases now available to Law Society members (3 February 2011) (NZ)
NZ Law Society
The New Zealand Law Society’s Library Service has now established desktop access for New Zealand lawyers to a number of large information databases. The Law Society has secured a subscription to the “EPIC” service, which consists of databases from the international providers...
Immigration
Pacific Quota resident applications due in February (25 January 2011) (NZ)
Department of Labour
Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati and Tuvalu citizens who were successful in last year’s ballot under the Samoa Quota (SQ) or Pacific Access Category (PAC) quota will have three weeks to pull together all the necessary documentation to complete their application for residence in New Zealand. The...
Reduce cost of licence, say drivers (3 February 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
The cost of driving licences needs to drop before the Government tries to set time limits on each stage, say many Herald readers. Some have agreed with Transport Minister Steven Joyce's plan, revealed in the Weekend Herald, to force more than 300,000 drivers sitting on restricted licences to...
Banking and Finance, Criminal
Lombard directors face court in October (3 February 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
The Securities Commission case against Sir Douglas Graham and fellow Lombard Finance and Investment directors will go to trial on October 12 in the High Court at Wellington. Graham, Michael Reeves, William Jeffries and Lawrence Bryant have had criminal charges laid against them by the...
Human Rights
De Bres: Marae entry charge 'ill-advised' (3 February 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
A Maori leader has branded members of his own iwi racist and "crazed dogs" for demanding media companies pay to enter a Waitangi marae on New Zealand's national day. Ngapuhi iwi members are threatening to charge Pakeha media $1000 to enter the lower Te Tii Marae at Waitangi on...
Criminal, Insolvency
Ex-MP jailed for contempt (3 February 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
A bankrupt and disgraced former National MP was sentenced to one month in jail yesterday after defying court orders and lying in court. Trevor Rogers and his wife Glenda have been embroiled in a dispute between the receivers of a company they were directors of and owned the majority...
Criminal
2011 A Big Year For Cyber Criminals (1 February 2011) (NZ)
voxy.co.nz
AVG (AU/NZ), the Australian, New Zealand and South Pacific distributor of the award-winning AVG anti-virus and Internet security products, warns that if the past is prologue, 2011 is sure to be another big year for both users and cyber criminals as we continue to battle our way toward a safer and...
Animals
Pregnant Woman Avoids Jail After Starving Dogs (3 February 2011) (NZ)
voxy.co.nz
A heavily pregnant woman has narrowly escaped a prison sentence after leaving her pet dogs to starve to death. Sheryl Santos Teriaki, 19, was sentenced to two months' home detention and 100 hours' community work for ill-treating animals and failing to prevent suffering when she appeared in...
Administrative
General Election to be held on 26 November (2 February 2011) (NZ)
beehive.govt.nz
The 2011 General Election will take place on Saturday 26 November, Prime Minister John Key announced today. “I believe it is in the country’s best interests to know the date of the General Election early in election year,” says Mr Key. “It creates certainty for New...
Employment
Minister welcomes analysis of trial periods (2 February 2011) (NZ)
beehive.govt.nz
Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson has welcomed new research showing trial periods had a positive impact on job numbers for small employers at a time of rising unemployment. The analysis by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research looked at the impact of the trial period over the six...
Judiciary
New District Court Judge appointed (1 February 2011) (NZ)
beehive.govt.nz
Havelock North lawyer Dugald Guy Matheson has been appointed a District Court Judge, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced today. Mr Matheson is a partner at Gifford Devine in Hastings, where he has worked since 1980. His early experience was in all facets of litigation at Tribunal,...
Employment
Public should have say on 'mondayised' holidays - MP (NZ)
NZ Herald
The public should have a say on whether public holidays that fall on the weekend should be "mondayised", Labour MP Grant Robertson says. He has drafted a member's bill that would allow holidays falling on weekends to be taken on another day. Read more
Criminal
Undertaker fined over false wedding (2 February 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
Philip Ellis remembers his "wedding day" fondly - even though it turned out to be a sham. It was a "good day and a good night", and he was to be married to a "lovely lady", he told the Herald. Read more
Criminal
Ecstasy drug of choice for mid-aged professionals (2 February 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
The use of Ecstasy among older professionals is on the rise and even having children is not stopping people from partying with the drug. Figures out of Australia's National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre show Ecstasy is the drug of choice for those aged 30-40. Read more
Environment
Submission to the Local Government and Environment Select Committee: The Environmental Protection Authority Bill (1 February 2011) (NZ)
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment
"I support the creation of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). A technically skilled environmental agency focused on implementation at central government level is long overdue. I am especially pleased that the EPA is being established as a Crown entity since a measure of...
Company, Insolvency
Pike contractors may never be paid - receiver (NZ)
NZ Herald
There's a "strong possibility" Pike River Coal mine contractors will never receive money owed to them, a receiver says. Around 80 West Coast contractors and suppliers are owed more than $8 million dating back to October. Read more
Company
Commission takes action against Insured Group (1 February 2011) (NZ)
Securities Commission
The Securities Commission has commenced civil proceedings against Insured Group Limited, formerly known as Lombard Group Limited, in relation to alleged breaches in 2007 and 2008 of the continuous disclosure provisions of the Securities Markets Act 1988. The breaches relate to the company's...
Criminal, Criminal Sentencing
Registrar-General Welcomes Sentencing In Fake Marriage Celebrant Case (1 February 2011) (NZ)
voxy.co.nz
The Registrar-General of Births Deaths and Marriages welcomes the sentencing of Geoffrey Robert Topham Hall and Reverend Maurice Gray on Marriage Act charges. Geoffrey Hall, a 56-year-old funeral director from Christchurch, was convicted and fined $1000.00 for making a false declaration. For...
Law Practitioners
Students weigh up the two-year law degree (28 January 2011) (UK)
guardian.co.uk
Short intensive courses might seem attractive as a way of saving money, but they have drawbacks Loth to be outdone by accountants in the arena of spoiling fun, the legal profession has responded to KPMG's work-while-you-study initiative by launching an intensive, two-year undergraduate law...
Law Practitioners
Thank a no win, no fee lawyer for exposing the phone-hacking scandal (30 January 2011) (UK)
guardian.co.uk
Lawyers' hated 'conditional fee agreements' are on the way out after a European court ruling. But without them, the phone hackers might still be operating in the shadows. Think Erin Brockovich, or any John Grisham paperback. Think a giant multinational company playing fast and loose and a...
Employment
Employers finding ways around job law (31 January 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
Companies and even government enterprises are increasingly contracting workers to avoid hard-won employment rights. The Pike River mine explosion and the Hobbit movie row illustrate a serious issue now affecting thousands of low-income workers. Read more
Local Government, Property
Council flats being sublet (30 January 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
Tenants of Wellington City Council flats are illegally subletting rooms - sometimes for more than they pay for the apartment. A woman discovered the scam when looking for accommodation. She visited a two-bedroom apartment being rented by a Chinese couple, who offered to rent out one tiny room...
Local Government
5-year-old rescued after falling into stormwater drain (28 January 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
A Christchurch woman whose five-year-old daughter fell into a stormwater drain in a public park says she can only imagine the outcome had she not been there. The girl was traumatised after she fell feet-first into the unsecured manhole in Christchurch's Victoria Square on Saturday, The Press...
Resource Management
Building relationships can help save our heritage (31 January 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
I think the mayor and Auckland Council need to keep working. The issues around the Turua Street properties and their proposed demolition were complex and seemed to have been put into the "too hard" basket by the mayor and the councillors who voted against the heritage order. I'm sure...
Resource Management
Art Deco cottages cleared for the axe (28 January 2011) (NZ)
NZ Herald
Save Our St Heliers Society members were last night awaiting the destruction of three Spanish mission-style homes after their protection bid was rejected. Environment Court Judge Laurie Newhook yesterday refused to issue an enforcement order to prevent the Turua St buildings being demolished....
Environment
Gazetting New Zealand's 2050 Emissions Target: Minister's Position Paper (29 January 2011) (NZ)
Ministry for the Environment
The Government is committed to implementing an economically sound and environmentally effective climate change policy. A part of this will be a credible long-term emissions reduction target. To provide certainty for business over the long-term direction of climate change policy, the Government...
Environment
National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity (29 January 2011) (NZ)
Ministry for the Environment
The Government is seeking public input on a proposed National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity (NPS). Submissions close on 2 May 2011. The proposed NPS is intended to provide clearer direction to local authorities on their responsibilities for managing indigenous biodiversity...
Judiciary
New Court of Appeal Judge appointed (31 January 2011) (NZ)
beehive.govt.nz
Justice John Richard Wild has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, Attorney General Christopher Finlayson announced today. After graduating from Victoria University in 1968, he was employed first as a law clerk and then as a solicitor at Bell Gully & Co. In 1976 he went into...
Professions and Trades
Call for public input into energy safety review (31 January 2011) (NZ)
beehive.govt.nz
The Government is seeking public input into a review of the gas and electricity sector’s certification regime, says Associate Energy and Resources Minister Hekia Parata. “The safe supply and use of gas and electricity is important to all New Zealanders,” says Ms Parata....
Company
Chair and deputy reappointed to Takeovers Panel (31 January 2011) (NZ)
beehive.govt.nz
Commerce Minister Simon Power today announced the reappointment of David Jones as chair and Colin Giffney as deputy chair of the Takeovers Panel. “I am pleased that both Mr Jones and Mr Giffney have agreed to continue on the panel until the end of September next year,” Mr Power...
International
McCully dismisses Sunday newspaper claims as mischievous (30 January 2011) (NZ)
beehive.govt.nz
Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully has dismissed today’s Sunday Star Times newspaper claims that leaders of the Fiji military regime are entitled to come to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup as "mischievous and plain wrong." He says that New Zealand has total control...
New policy proposed to protect biodiversity (29 January 2011) (NZ)
beehive.govt.nz
Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson today called for public input into a proposed National Policy Statement on New Zealand’s indigenous biodiversity announced at the Bluegreens Forum in Akaroa. “Protecting biodiversity is one of the most...
Environment, Fisheries
Subantarctic Islands to become marine reserves (29 January 2011) (NZ)
beehive.govt.nz
Three huge marine reserves totalling 435,163ha are to be established in the Subantarctic Islands, Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson and Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley announced today. The Ministers’ decisions will see a marine reserve cover the entire territorial sea - out to 12...
Environment
50 by 50 emissions reduction target proposed (29 January 2011) (NZ)
beehive.govt.nz
The Government is proposing to gazette under the Climate Change Response Act 2002 a 50% reduction in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. “We acknowledge it is difficult to look 40 years forward but the nature of the climate change problem requires we think and plan for...