News and views

Agri-tourism and food are growing sectors in New Zealand. We have farm tourism where tourists are shown working farms with activities such as sheep dog and shearing exhibitions. Artisan producers are growing their own products and then processing them into, say, cheese, and free-range pigs are becoming salami, bacon and ham.

If you receive a notice from your landlord notifying you of a rent increase on commercial premises, and you don’t agree with the new figure, what can you do?

One of the perennial problems that farmers face is that of stock wandering or stock getting out and interfering with, or causing damage to, neighbouring properties. Generally speaking, the issue of having a small number of stock grazing on your land for a short time until they are put back in the neighbour’s property may not be too great a concern.

Once largely the domain of the well-heeled, personalised agreements about what will happen to assets in a relationship should a couple separate, or one partner die, are becomingly increasingly mainstream.

Death can bring more than mourning for those left behind. Too often it leads to animosity and arguing around the departed loved one’s Will – especially when its provisions come as a surprise.

New Zealand’s ageing population has created a boom for retirement villages, with record numbers being developed. For many looking to retire or slow down, retirement village living is attractive – and it’s not hard to see why. A new apartment or cottage in a secure, well-maintained environment, offering a lock-up-and-leave lifestyle, and providing resort-like facilities such as cafes, gyms, pools, bowling greens, libraries and men’s sheds can be very appealing.

Laws around residential tenancies have undergone massive change in the past few years – and it’s not letting up any time soon.

In light of recent difficulties in the construction industry, not taking protective measures opens subcontractors up to recovery and enforcement issues. If you are a subcontractor, you should think about how to prevent your tools and equipment (including cranes and scaffolding) from being seized and sold by a receiver, and to ensure you have the best chance of getting paid.