Hugh Cottrell Award

April 2020 The annual University of Canterbury: School of Law, Mortlock McCormack Law Child and Family Award in Honour of Hugh Cottrell, was awarded to Kirsty Jacomb and Grace Watson in 2019. Mortlock McCormack Law established the prize in 2017, in honour ... Read more

COVID-19 Impact for Employers

April 2020 We have been contacted by a few clients concerned about the impact the COVID-19 restrictions will have on their businesses. It is likely that some businesses will need to reduce staffing numbers or alter positions from full time to part time to ... Read more

The Trusts Act 2019 – What it means for you

December 2019

Andrew Logan

The (long-awaited) review and reform of the Trustee Act 1956 has finally been completed.  On 30 July 2019, the new “Trusts Act 2019” received royal assent.  The new Act comes into effect on 31 January 2021 and replaces the old 1956 ... Read more

Protecting Yourself when Leasing Goods

December 2019 If you are in the business of leasing out goods, there are several ways to mitigate risk.   Often, security interests are registered on the Personal Property Security Register (“PPSR”), but this alone may not give you the optimal protection ... Read more

Business Succession Planning

December 2019

Kent Yeoman

We are in the midst of the retirement of a huge number of the baby boomer generation, many of whom are business owners and may not have planned for the future. The lack of a formal succession or exit plan can have serious consequences for the ... Read more

Christchurch City Mission Walk of Stars

November 2019 Mortlock McCormack Law is proud to support the Christchurch City Mission Walk of Stars. The Christchurch City Mission Walk of Stars is an annual campaign based on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The campaign is a summer celebration of City ... Read more

Assignment of Insurance Claims (Xu v IAG)

September 2019 The Supreme Court has released its highly anticipated judgment in Xu & Anor v IAG [2019] NZSC 68. This case centred on the assignment of insurance claims, in particular, the right to receive full replacement value (reinstatement) under an assigned ... Read more

Review of the Property Relationships Act

September 2019 The Law Commission has recently released its final report reviewing the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 (PRA). The Commission began the reviewing process back in 2016. The final report takes into account public feedback that has been received in ... Read more

Changes to KiwiSaver HomeStart and Welcome Home Loans

September 2019 The Government recently announced a number of changes to their programme to assist New Zealanders into home ownership. The following changes take effect from 1 October 2019: The KiwiSaver HomeStart Grant will become the "First Home Grant" ... Read more

Are you selling a property? Beware of vendor warranties!

September 2019

Sarah Manning

Are you selling a property? Beware of vendor warranties! If you are selling a property (residential, commercial, or rural) it is likely that your sale contract will contain "standard" warranties given by the seller to the buyer. In New ... Read more