On 10 February 2021, Minister for the Environment, David Parker, announced that the Resource Management Act 1991 (“RMA”) will be repealed and replaced with three new Acts by the end of 2022. These are the: Natural and Built Environments Act; Strategic Planning Act; and Climate Change Adaptation Act. These new acts seek to improve the …
When a person makes a decision in relation to their personal or property rights, they are presumed to have capacity unless there are good reasons to suggest otherwise. A person’s decision does not have to be wise, so long as they understand the nature and consequences of that decision. But, what do legal practitioners have …
Gate Gourmet New Zealand Ltd v Sandhu [2020] NZEmpC 237 deals with employment rights and obligations arising during the COVID-19 lockdown. The key issue was whether an Employer was obligated to pay employees the minimum wage if they were not working due to partial business closure, but were “ready, willing and able” to do so. …
COVID-19 and minimum wage obligations – the latest from the Employment Court Read More »
The Healthy Home Standards and Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2020 are now law. The Government describes these changes as necessary for modernising and clarifying the Act to reflect the modern renting market in New Zealand by increasing security of tenure for tenants; promoting good-faith relationships in the renting environment; and supporting tenants’ ability to assert …
Healthy Homes Standards and Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2020 Read More »
2020 certainly isn’t the year we thought it would be and the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020 (the Act) definitely wasn’t on the Government’s legislative agenda back in January. The Act was passed under urgency and is part of the government’s economic response to Covid-19, promoting development as a way to stimulate the economy. …
The brand new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (NPSFM20) came into force on 3 September 2020, replacing the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2014 (NPSFM14). The new statement forms part of the Government’s overhaul of the freshwater planning framework and introduces a slew of changes to the way regional councils are required …
Fresh National Direction: The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 Read More »
The Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Freshwater) Regulations 2020 (“the NES:F”) came into effect on 3 September 2020 as part of the Government’s wider “Action for Healthy Waterways” package (which also includes the new Freshwater Planning Process contained in the Resource Management Amendment Act 2020, the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management and Stock …
Fresh National Directions: The National Environmental Standards for Freshwater 2020 Read More »
The Resource Management (get your) Amendment Act (together) 2020 (RMAA) is the latest in a never-ending series of amendments to the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). The RMAA came into force on 1 July 2020 and introduces some significant changes, particularly for the freshwater planning process. It also enhances public participation in the planning process, …
2020 has been a year of significant changes for the resource management framework in New Zealand, with important developments in both legislation and national direction. More substantial changes are also on the horizon, with the Resource Management Review Panel’s report on the Resource Management Act (RMA) reform now published and both major parties indicating that …
New Zealand’s changing resource management landscape Read More »
At noon 12 August 2020, Auckland moved to COVID-19 Alert level 3 and the rest of New Zealand moved to Alert level 2. Resurgence Wage Subsidy On 18 August 2020, Finance Minister Grant Robertson announced additional funding of up to $510 million for a targeted extension of the Wage Subsidy Scheme, being the ‘Resurgence Wage …
