Newsletter - June 2025
As we approach the midpoint of 2025 with the cooler weather firmly setting in, it’s a great time to reflect on a busy and productive first half of the year - both here in New Zealand and for our team at Turner Hopkins.
Earlier in the month, members of our firm had the privilege of travelling to China to meet with several leading Chinese law firms and legal professionals. These meetings helped strengthen our international relationships and reaffirm our commitment to cross-border collaboration, particularly in the areas of immigration, commercial law, and investment. It was an excellent opportunity to showcase the depth of New Zealand’s legal framework and to explore ways we can support clients doing business across jurisdictions.
Back home, New Zealand continues to navigate a dynamic economic and legal landscape. From ongoing immigration policy updates to the evolving property market and regulatory shifts affecting business owners, the year so far has brought both opportunities and challenges for clients across various sectors.
In this edition, we’re also pleased to highlight again, our new FAQ section, created to answer some of the most common questions we receive - whether you're navigating a family matter, looking to invest in property, or seeking to recover debt. It's part of our ongoing effort to make legal information more accessible and client-focused.
We hope you enjoy this edition and, as always, welcome your feedback and questions.
Turner Hopkins - China Connection
Earlier this month, four members of the Turner Hopkins team embarked on a 10-day tour of China, visiting Shanghai and Shenzhen to meet with a number of respected (and very large) Chinese law firms. This trip was part of our ongoing commitment to developing and maintaining strong international relationships, with a focus on cross-border legal collaboration and client service.
Throughout the visit, our team engaged in discussions with legal professionals across a range of disciplines and we were also lucky enough to meet with the New Zealand Consulate General in Shanghai and the New Zealand Trade Commissioner in Shenzhen. These meetings provided valuable insights into the cross-border business landscape between New Zealand and China and reinforced the importance of strong international partnerships in an increasingly globalised world.
A major highlight of the trip, and the main reason for going, was the signing of a formal collaboration agreement with Zhongwen Law Firm - an exciting development that will allow us to provide even greater support to our clients with interests in China, and vice versa. The partnership was marked by a formal signing and inauguration ceremony, followed by a high-level forum on China–New Zealand Cross-Border Investment, Immigration, and the Recognition and Enforcement of Chinese Judgments in New Zealand Courts.
Michael Robinson, Managing Partner of Turner Hopkins, shared insights into the firm’s proud 100-year legacy., noting that Turner Hopkins is not only known for its commitment to high-quality legal service but also for cultivating some of the country’s leading legal professionals - including a former Chief Justice of New Zealand.
The event culminated in the signing of the Joint Office Cooperation Agreement by Michael Robinson (Turner Hopkins), Zhang Yang (Zhongwen New Zealand), and Yan Hongshi (Zhongwen Shenzhen), followed by the official unveiling of the joint office.
This partnership marks a significant step forward in Turner Hopkins' global reach and ensures that our clients continue to receive seamless, cross-border legal advice supported by trusted, on-the-ground expertise. We have provided a sample of photos from the trip (there were many more) as well as a video capturing some of the key meeting highlights.
Legal Questions?
We Have The Answers…
The law can be confusing and that’s why we are here to help you navigate through it, with a team of experts on hand to listen to your legal needs and provide you with a custom solution. However sometimes, you just need to understand the basics, before you get started, and that is why we have collated some of our most popular FAQs below.
These details are all available on our website, and cover a range of common questions relating to property purchases, setting up a trust or establishing a will - right through to understanding some of the complexities of the visa system. If your question isn’t listed below, try out out the FAQ sections on our website or better yet, get in touch with us directly.
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The main advantage of using a law firm to collect an outstanding debt is that a law firm will act in a highly regulated and professional manner and provide a genuine level of credibility and professionalism to the process of pursuing the outstanding amount. Of particular importance a law firm will generally charge on time and attendance basis (often at a significantly reduced rate based on the volume of work involved) as opposed to a traditional debt recovery firm which will normally charge a very large percentage of the debt for their services. (Debt recovery firms' charges often exceed 20% of the amount recovered!)
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Debt recovery usually involves breaches of contractual arrangements by a customer or client or debtor who has failed to make payment for goods or services supplied by a client who is the creditor. A very common example is failure by a bank customer to pay their bank loan or credit card debts. Other examples include trade customers failing to pay suppliers or customers of professional service suppliers who have reneged on their commitment to pay for the services they have received.
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Yes, it is quite feasible to pursue judgment debtors who have moved away from New Zealand. Our relationship with law firms in other jurisdictions (including Australia, the United States, Europe and Asia) mean that we can readily assist clients seeking to enforce judgments outside New Zealand.
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The executors will begin by making an application to the High Court. This would include making application to the High Court for the last Will to be approved for administration. Assisting in collecting and managing the estate assets, paying any outstanding debts or moneys from the estate, helping to complete a tax return for the estate, and ultimately assisting with distribution of the estate to the named beneficiaries.
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Yes. The two types of EPAs are:
EPA in relation to personal care and welfare – a donor may authorise their attorney to act in relation to the donor's personal care and welfare such as medical treatment and selection/admission of the donor into residential care or a rest home.
EPA in relation to property – a donor may authorise their attorney to act in matters concerning the whole or a specified part of the donor's property. Unless restricted, this EPA can be used for any 'property' of the donor, including borrowing, operation of bank accounts, and almost all financial or property decisions the donor could otherwise make personally.
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While tax benefits for trusts have gradually diminished over the last twenty years, there are still some tax advantages by having a trust. For example a trust can income split and benefit from the lower tax rate of a beneficiary.
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Normally an employee will have an individual employment agreement. Collective employment agreements tend to be the domain of union-based workers.
Individual employment agreements need to be in writing and signed by you and your employee. It should include:
employer and the employee names
job description
hours and location of job
the wages or salary that you will pay to the employee, as well as incentives such as bonuses
redundancy clause
jargon-free explanation of the services available for employment relationship problems
any trial period
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Caution must also be exercised with fixed term and casual agreements as both have specific contractual requirements. If these requirements are not fulfilled then the employer faces the possibility of having its powers under those agreements eroded.
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There are many reasons you may need a lawyer in employment matters. It is an unfortunate reality that things don't always work out in the workplace.
Stay tuned for more FAQs coming in each monthly newsletter. If you have a legal question that you need answered, email our team: law@turnerhopkins.co.nz or call us on +64 9 486 2169
Immigration Updates
Parent Boost Visa
The Government has finally announced the Parent Boost Visa - a Visa that was promised as part of both National and Act’s campaign pledges and has taken a little longer than either party (or the hopeful applicants) might have liked, to finally roll out. The actual Visa doesn’t go live until 29 September 2025, but the core components have been released, meaning we know how it will work and there will be plenty of people beginning to prepare their applications to apply later this year. We anticipate that demand for this Visa will be relatively high, given both the number of parent’s, waiting in the Parent Residence queue, as well as those who may not yet qualify for Residence but want to join their children and grandchildren in New Zealand.
Whilst the official rules have not yet been let out in to the wild, there is enough information for us to work through what the key requirements are, as well as some of the challenges that potential applicants might face.
The Visa was initially advertised as a five year Visa, with one renewal (so up to ten years) and that is mostly how it has arrived, although with a few catches. The Visa is issued for five years, however at the third year (so potentially in year four), applicants will need to be offshore to complete a second medical assessment, as well as being checked for compliance (holding insurance and being sponsored). So in theory there is a gap in the five years, where applicants must be offshore to complete these checks before returning. In addition applicants will need:
To be sponsored by an adult child who is a citizen or resident. The sponsor must agree to covering essential costs such as accommodation and daily living costs, ensuring access to health and financial support and covering costs related to repatriation or deportation, if required.
There is a financial requirement, consisting of either the sponsor having sufficient income (at least the New Zealand median wage or 1.5 times the median wage for joint sponsors) to sponsor 1 parent, with the amount increasing by 0.5 times the median wage for additional parents being sponsored, or the parent(s) have a personal income equivalent to New Zealand Superannuation currently NZD $32,611.28 gross per annum for a single parent and NZD $49,552.88 for a couple, or the parent(s) have sufficient personal funds: NZD $160,000 for a single applicant or NZD $250,000 for a couple.
Applicants must hold acceptable insurance that covers emergency medical care (minimum NZD $250,000 a year), repatriation, return of remains and cancer treatment (minimum NZD $100,000).
There will be further criteria attached to the above, that will be rolled out with the formal rules, including the timeframe the sponsor’s income must have been earned and the specifics for the insurance, but these are the key factors to consider.
If you have parents overseas, who would like the flexibility that this five year visa offers, then get in touch with our immigration team today (immigration@turnerhopkins.co.nz)
Need Help - Get In Touch
As we move into the second half of the year, our team remains focused on delivering trusted legal advice and practical solutions across all areas of law. Whether you're planning ahead for a property transaction, need help navigating a commercial matter, or simply want to ensure your affairs are in order, we're here to help.
We’re excited about the opportunities that lie ahead—both at home and through our growing international connections—and we look forward to sharing more with you in the months to come.
If there’s anything we can assist you with, or if you'd just like to touch base, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Turner Hopkins team. You can visit the various pages on our website to find out more about the services we offer, use our team page to get in touch with our staff directly or call us on +64 9 486 2169 to speak to one of our friendly team.
If you need to explain your situation in more detail, send us an online contact request form (where you can choose the specific legal assistance you need).
Until next month…
