Election years are not especially relaxing, especially if your future depends on immigration policy and whether a change in Government might influence your long-term future in New Zealand.

A politician gives a speech about immigration being too high, another warns that the country needs to protect its social cohesion, someone else promises a tougher system. Headlines follow, social media does what social media does, and people who are halfway through planning a move to New Zealand start wondering whether they should unpack their suitcase.

Obtaining a court judgment overseas is often not the end of the recovery process. If the person or company that owes you money is in New Zealand or holds assets here, further steps may be needed before the judgment can be enforced and the money recovered.

Likewise, if an overseas judgment is being enforced against you or your business in New Zealand, you should understand your position promptly. Depending on the circumstances, there may be grounds to challenge the enforcement process, seek a stay, negotiate a resolution, or otherwise protect your interests.

Cross lease ownership can feel much like owning an ordinary house until somebody wants to change the building. Legally, however, a cross lease is quite different from owning a separate fee simple lot.

Each owner usually owns a share of the underlying land together with the other owners, while separately holding a long-term lease of their particular flat.

Cross leases have an impressive ability to turn an ordinary garage into a complicated legal issue. A purchaser looks at the flats plan, notices the garage is missing and suddenly there is talk of a defective flats plan, surveyors, neighbour consent and an expensive cross-lease update.

Sometimes that concern is justified. But not always.

A detached garage or other independent structure situated within an area allocated for the exclusive use of one cross-lease owner does not automatically make the flats plan defective simply because it is not shown on the plan.

Turner Hopkins is very proud to have now been selected as one of the few New Zealand law firms to become an accredited partner of JustFund, Australasia’s leading family law litigation finance provider.

The JustFund model allows clients of our firm to obtain loans specifically designed to meet their legal expenses.  This means that clients can now obtain legal representation without any upfront cost.  Payment of the legal fees is ultimately met from the relationship property recovered once settlement of any disputes and all relationship property matters has been resolved.

If someone owes you money and you have a court judgment, the judgment does not always mean you will be paid straight away. The judgment says the money is owed. If the debtor still does not pay, you may need to take another step to collect the money.

A garnishee application is one way to do this. It can be used when another person, business, bank, or organisation owes money to the debtor or is holding money for the debtor. You can ask the Court to order that third party to pay the money to you instead of paying it to the debtor.

In property transactions, there is often pressure to move quickly. Opportunities present themselves as solutions - a structure that works when others do not, a pathway to lending that appears just within reach, or an approach that promises to “get the deal across the line.”

But where that pathway depends on information being incomplete, recharacterised, or withheld, the risk is not commercial. It is legal. And increasingly, it is criminal.

When it comes to managing a trustee company, the choice of leadership can shape the long-term success of the trust. Trustees carry significant responsibilities — not only safeguarding assets but ensuring that the trust operates in accordance with the law and in the best interests of its beneficiaries.

Two professions are often considered for this role: accountants and lawyers. Both bring valuable expertise, but their skill sets differ. Understanding these differences can help determine who is best placed to guide a trust over the long term.

Here’s a rundown of what’s been announced and what it means in practice for both residents and operators.

The Government has now released a set of proposed reforms to the Retirement Villages Act 2003 (the Act). These changes have been a long time coming after several years of consultation, and the overall aim is clear: give residents stronger protections and bring more transparency to how villages operate. Importantly, some of the proposals will apply not just to new agreements but to certain existing occupation right agreements (ORAs) as well.

Here’s a rundown of what’s been announced and what it means in practice for both residents and operators.

The Biometric Processing Privacy Code, is a set of rules issued by the Privacy Commissioner that apply to all entities that collect biometric information for processing by a biometric system technology.

The Privacy Code sets out 13 rules that must be followed for any biometric processing about individuals, these rules replace the privacy principles in the Privacy Act 2020.

Yesterday marked a significant moment for the team Turner Hopkins Law, as we commemorated the official opening of our collaborating office with Zhong Wen Law.

In June 2025, representatives from Turner Hopkins visited the offices of Zhong Wen Law in China to confirm our commitment to a shared office presence and establishing a cross-border legal network between the two firms.

As more tenants face financial pressure, landlords are encountering higher risks of rent arrears and lease defaults. In this month’s newsletter, we share practical ways to protect your investment - from setting up strong lease security to enforcing your rights if a default occurs.

New Zealand is opening the doors for those looking to invest here, in a variety of ways. With our updated Active Investor Visa, about to be released Business Investor Visa and future Start-Up Visa, there has never been a better time to consider the move, for international investors.

Turner Hopkins is very proud to have now been selected as one of the few New Zealand law firms to become an accredited partner of JustFund, Australasia’s leading family law litigation finance provider.

Cross leases were originally developed in the 1960s as a way of getting around restrictive subdivision requirements and saved developers in cost and time. They have however been labelled New Zealand’s “greatest conveyancing issue”.