Insights

Attention startup founders!

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New Zealand: Kavinna and Jeremy have been working with The Ministry of Awesome and The Centre for Entrepreneurship at the University of Canterbury to help startup founders navigate the world of intellectual property. During their presentations and conversations, founders have asked them numerous questions relating to patents, registered designs, and trade marks. In this insight, Kavinna and Jeremy share answers to some of these questions so that startups from all around New Zealand can learn from them.

Cost-Benefit Analysis: The taxpayer's only representative at the negotiation table

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New Zealand: New Zealand faces a significant infrastructure deficit. Closing that gap today would require approximately $200 billion in investment to match the standards of comparable OECD countries. In recent years we have spent money we can ill-afford changing our minds about projects that were poorly conceived from the start.

Fair Trading Act reform – strengthening ComCom’s bark, and its bite

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New Zealand: Changes to New Zealand’s fair trading laws are imminent, and the public have been invited to have their say. The Fair Trading Amendment Bill, which seeks to amend the Fair Trading Act 1986 (‘FTA’), has been referred to Select Committee and is now open for public submissions.

The Outer Space and High-altitude Activities Amendment Bill

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New Zealand: The Outer Space and High-altitude Activities Amendment Bill (the Amendment) came into effect on 29 July 2025 following urgent passage by Parliament on 23 July 2025. The Amendment introduced a new regulatory regime in respect of ground-based space infrastructure (GBSI). As part of the regulatory overhaul, the Outer Space and High-altitude Activities (Licenses, Permits, and Authorisations) Amendment Regulations 2026 was introduced and came into force on 7 May 2026. Authorisation is required for new GBSI-related activities. This article will outline the process for making an authorisation application.

Seismic changes: Proposed new earthquake-prone building regime

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New Zealand: Since the Christchurch earthquakes of 2011, issues related to earthquakes and seismic performance of buildings have been a common feature of commercial leasing transactions in New Zealand. Proposed changes to our earthquake-prone building regime may pose a significant further development for commercial leasing in New Zealand with the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Bill (Amendment Bill) currently before Parliament. If enacted, the Amendment Bill will amend the Building Act 2004. At the time of writing, the Amendment Bill is before the Select Committee, with the committee scheduled to report back to Parliament on 16 June 2026.

Budget 2026 – Two taxation changes of interest in the private wealth space

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New Zealand: The Government’s Budget tax package delivered on 28 May 2026 includes two measures that are particularly relevant for the private wealth sector, including high net worth individuals, founders, investors, and charities. A new NZ$100,000 cap on charitable donations eligible for the donation tax credit and an extension of the Revenue Account Method (RAM) under the Foreign Investment Fund (FIF) rules to all New Zealand taxpayers. While both measures represent significant policy choices, they move in very different directions.

Congestion Charging: What Auckland can learn from Stockholm

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New Zealand: Auckland has a congestion problem, and it is costing us up to $2.6 billion a year. Congested roads mean longer commutes, less time with family, and a significant drag on economic productivity. For decades, successive governments and councils have discussed time-of-use charging as a means of maximising the use of our existing roads and driving behavioural change. Now, it's finally on the horizon.

Employment Echo - June Edition

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New Zealand: In this edition of the Echo, we touch on the government’s request for feedback on the employment dispute resolution system (including employment advocates) ahead of a potential overhaul. We also contemplate further questions about the Employment Leave Bill and who is most likely to be affected by the planned changes (assuming they go ahead). Finally, we consider the third instalment on whether a trust can be a PCBU, and what this means for trustees moving forward.

If there was one special condition for NZS 391X

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New Zealand: At a recent conference I was sitting on a panel discussing different forms of dispute resolution for construction projects. The final question to me was “If you had to include one special condition in an NZS 391X standard form contract, what would it be?” The answer was simple.

Budget 2026: Implications for the infrastructure sector

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New Zealand: Finance Minister Nicola Willis has described Budget 2026 as a “responsible budget”, reflecting “sensible choices”, which will lead to “better public infrastructure”. There is definitely a sense of “steady as she goes”. At Dentons, many of our clients are infrastructure providers, consultants, contractors, or regulators of infrastructure. In this article, we reflect on what Budget 2026 will mean for you.