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”.

Aimed at addressing the New Zealand-wide lack of affordable houses, it requires certain councils (including Auckland) to incorporate new medium-density residential standards into their unitary plans.

When trying to cancel a contract, parties often rely on two clauses in off-plan agreements: a sunset date clause or a force majeure clause.

We are coming across more and more issues with the construction or build of a property and clients who have not received legal advice prior to entering into their contract. In this article we touch on some of these issues.

Recent planning legislation changes have seen many local councils define various areas of land that are now zoned for more intensive housing.