Natasha van der Wal
Partner
tel:+6479287097
mailto:natasha.vanderwal@hobec.co.nz
Qualifications
- LLB, BSc, University of Auckland 2007
- Admitted to the Bar in New Zealand 2009
Community Activity
- Trustee on House of Science New Zealand’s Board of Trustees
Contact
- DDI: +64 7 928 7097
- M: +64 21 855 458
- E: natasha.vanderwal@hobec.co.nz
Natasha van der Wal is a Partner at Holland Beckett and leads our Rotorua commercial and property team.
Natasha works closely with individuals, corporate entities, local governments, Māori land-owning entities and post settlement governance entities.
She provides advice on a range of legal issues working in property, commercial and asset planning including projects involving subdivisions and development, leasing and commercial contracts, Māori property interests, iwi social housing and papakainga. Natasha has appeared before the Māori Land Court on property related matters.
Outside of work Natasha enjoys travelling and making the most of the outdoor activities the Bay has to offer.
Natasha van der Wal's Expertise
Natasha van der Wal's News & Resources
Holland Beckett promotes two partners
Leading New Zealand law firm, Holland Beckett has announced the promotion to partnership of two of its senior lawyers, Will Dymock and Natasha van der Wal, effective from April 1st 2024.
The Bay of Plenty based firm has offices in Tauranga, Rotorua, Whakatāne and Taupō, and advises local, national and international clients. With over 140 staff including over 70 lawyers, the full-service firm\'s specialist teams work collaboratively and cater to a vast range of legal matters, including property, trusts and estates, commercial, corporate, finance, employment, family, civil litigation, resource management and local government. Holland Beckett also has a specialised Māori Legal Unit.
“It is a pleasure to announce the promotion of Natasha and Will, both experts in their respective fields”, says Ken Hawkes, Partner at Holland Beckett. “These talented lawyers represent the diverse capabilities we have as a firm, and the growth and strength of our team. We look forward to expanding the partnership with their specialist expertise”.
The promotion of Will and Natasha expands the partnership to 16, which is testament to Holland Beckett’s reputation as a top tier legal employer, firmly focused on recruiting the best talent and developing the next generation of legal leaders. The firm has the most female partners of any law firm in the Bay of Plenty, growing from two to five women in the past seven years.
Will Dymock, Partner
Will advises clients on a wide range of finance, corporate, restructuring and commercial transactions.
Will has extensive international and domestic experience advising financial institutions and businesses (small and large) across a broad range of areas including asset finance, general corporate lending, property finance and corporate finance. Will specialises in aviation and asset finance and leasing where he advises international clients, including financial institutions, aircraft lessors, lessees / airlines and other aviation market participants, on a wide range of aviation financing, acquisitions and sales, leasing and lease restructuring.
Prior to joining Holland Beckett in 2021, he spent six years in Singapore where he worked for two leading international finance practices, most recently as a Senior Associate in the global asset finance team at Clifford Chance. Prior to Singapore, Will worked in a leading banking and finance practice in Auckland.
Natasha van der Wal, Partner
Natasha joined Holland Beckett as a Senior Solicitor in 2016. Natasha’s expertise is focused on property law, commercial law and Māori legal issues.
Natasha provides strategic and trusted advice on a broad range of property and commercial matters for individuals, corporate entities and local government. She has experience with complex property issues including subdivisions and development, the acquisition and disposal of residential, rural and commercial properties; and commercial leasing and licencing matters generally.
As part of the specialised Māori Legal Unit at Holland Beckett, Natasha provides advice on Māori legal issues for local government, individuals, Māori trusts, Māori incorporations and post settlement governance entities. She is experienced with Māori property matters such as partitions, large commercial developments, iwi social housing and Papakainga. She has appeared before the Māori Land Court on property related matters.
Outside of work, you’ll find Natasha supporting her children on the sidelines of their various sporting interests. She also promotes scientific literacy for children in New Zealand as a trustee of the House of Science NZ Charitable Trust.
What happens if you can’t make your mortgage repayments?
Inflation and the rising cost of living is affecting a lot of New Zealanders. Those who entered the property market with record low interest rates may start to feel the pinch as these rates continue to climb.
So what should you do if you can’t meet your mortgage repayments?
Talk to your lender
If you think you may struggle to meet your loan obligations, the first place to go is your lender. The earlier you touch base to discuss your options the better off you will be. Waiting until your loan is in default will compound the problem and make your situation harder to rectify. Your lender may be able to restructure your loan or change you to interest only payments. Interest only payments mean your loan principal won’t go up, but it also won’t go down. If you are still unable to make your repayments, you may be able to apply for financial hardship.
Financial hardship application
By law you have the right to ask your lender for a change your mortgage if you meet the following criteria:
You have suffered a hardship you couldn’t reasonably foresee, such as loss of employment or death of a partner; and
As a result of the hardship, you cannot meet your mortgage repayments; and
You believe you would be able to make your mortgage repayments if your loan agreement was restructured (see below).
You cannot make a hardship application:
If you’ve failed to make four or more repayments in a row; or
If you’ve been in default for two weeks or more after receiving a notice that you’re in default on your mortgage; or
After two months of being in default on your repayments.
Again, you need to deal with this early.
If you make a hardship application by meeting the above criteria, your lender is required to consider it and follow specific processes. The changes that can be made include:
Extending the term of the loan agreement and reducing the repayment amounts; or
A payment holiday (your repayments are postponed for a specific period); or
A combination of the above.
These options will relieve the pressure temporarily, but it is important to note they are likely to increase the total amount owing on a loan. The changes you ask for must be fair and reasonable to both you and your lender.
Refinance
Refinancing with a new lender offering lower interest rates can be option in some circumstances. You will have to make sure there are no break fees or cash-contributions you will have to pay back should you jump to a new lender. If you are thinking of refinancing you can get in touch with us, your broker or your bank to determine whether this is the right option for you.
Mortgagee Sale
If you are unable to get your payments back on track, your lender has the legal right to start the debt recovery process which may (in the worst case) lead to a mortgagee sale. This process is not a fast one as there are several legal obligations the lender must comply with before they can sell your home. If you believe this process is likely to start, or has started, get in touch with one of our team as soon as possible and we will guide you through it and work through some options with you.
The most important thing you can do when facing the possibility of defaulting on your loan is to act early. Get in touch with us or your lender as soon as you can to avoid the possibility of a mortgagee sale.