The Media love reporting on scandalous details of employment disputes that are before the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and Employment Court. They trumpet headlines like “Sacked worker who took worthless magazine gets $9,000”. However, many employers and employees choose to avoid the glare of publicity by resolving employment disputes with [...]

Changes to the Building Act 2004 came into effect from 1 January 2015. The changes are designed to better protect clients and ensure they are informed. All builders completing new work worth more than $30,000.00 (including GST and materials) must now have a written contract with their client and it [...]

The Ministry of Justice has introduced new processes for parents when they are resolving disputes about their children. Before parents can apply to the court regarding a dispute about care, or contact arrangements, or guardianship matters; parents must first complete two out-of-court processes. They are: 1. Attend a 'parenting through [...]

Family disputes over Wills and inheritances can quickly become expensive, time consuming and stressful. In some cases they can even destroy relationships forever. At ARL Lawyers our Dispute Resolution Team has experienced solicitors who will conduct negotiations to arrive at practical, common sense solutions for all the parties. Our focus [...]

Changes to the student loan system were announced in this years’ budget. The Government stated that new initiatives were necessary to raise the level of repayments made by overseas-based borrowers and to target those who default by introducing penalties. As a result of the announcement, the Student Loan Scheme Amendment [...]

One of the most vexing questions that we face as we get older is- 'how will we provide for ourselves into our retirement?' This naturally includes planning to ensure that we have sufficient funds to meet our costs should we be placed into long-term residential care or a rest home. [...]

The Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act comes in to force on Monday 19 August 2013. It will allow couples to marry, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, from that date. Before marrying, a Notice of Intended Marriage must be completed in person at a Births, Deaths and Marriages [...]

Hutt Valley High School's ARL Academic Excellence Scholarship was this year awarded to year 13 student, Madhuri Shenoy. Ms Shenoy, a resident of the Hutt Valley all her life, is delighted to be the recipient of this award. "This scholarship will help pay for my course fees at university and [...]

In general, parents currently have the right to request one continuous period of paid parental leave for up to a maximum of 14 weeks. Sue Moroney MP, Labour, proposes to increase paid parental leave from 14 weeks to 26 weeks. Part of the proposal is to stage the increased leave [...]

ARL Lawyers are delighted to announce they are finalists in the 2012 Law Awards. They have been nominated for a premier award in the Regional/Suburban Law Firm of the year category. Now in its eighth year, the awards are the highlight of the New Zealand legal calendar. They are the [...]