Both parties to negotiate “fair” rent reductions
By Raj Gurusinghe

A proposed change to commercial leases will entitle many businesses in need of support due to the pandemic to rent relief. The change involves negotiating a fair reduction of rent when the tenant does not have access to their premises because of lockdown and alert level restrictions.

One thing is certain, both tenants and landlords will have to negotiate in good faith at a time when many businesses are faced

Senior associate Nathan Batts contributed an article to Law News analysing government plans to raise Covid infringement fees. Here he outlines the key points and potential impact.

Published through Law News on October 1.

On the same day I sit down to write this, protests regarding lockdown restrictions and vaccine mandates have for a second day in a row erupted in violence in Melbourne. It would appear that state premiers in our close neighbour Australia may be losing touch

Changes to Unfair Contract Terms are a key consideration for all businesses

Changes being introduced to the Fair Trading Act in 2022 are designed to protect and give more power to small businesses when negotiating contracts and conducting business. Triggered by the Fair Trading Amendment Bill 2019 which was recently passed by Parliament, changes to the rules around unfair contract terms (UCT) will protect businesses that have a limited opportunity to negotiate the terms of a trade contract.

Under the

Three key issues when considering Covid-19 workplace vaccine mandates

With the Government’s push for all eligible New Zealanders to be vaccinated against Covid-19, employers are understandably grappling with the question of what responsibility they have to encourage or require Covid-19 vaccination in their employees.

There has been considerable legal and media attention on whether employers can mandate Covid-19 vaccinations for existing staff or have vaccination (or vaccine willingness) as a prerequisite for new employees.

The Government has issued an order