News

A landowner unsuccessfully attempted to recover compensation from the Crown for its alleged failure to abate a rock fall hazard arising from neighbouring ‘red zoned’ land.

The Court of Appeal upheld the Employment Court’s decision in E tū Inc & Anor v Raiser Operations BV & Ors finding that the true nature of the relationship between Uber and its drivers, was one of employment. The Court clarified the test to be applied under section 6 of the Employment Relations Act 2000.

The High Court declined an application for judicial review of the Electricity Authority’s decision to grant Transpower New Zealand Ltd a discretionary power to reclassify transmission assets, and Transpower’s decision to exercise that power.

The Court of Appeal declined to make a declaration excluding the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith from the Royal Commission into abuse in state and faith-based care.

The Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020 (“FTCA”) was enacted to facilitate economic and social recovery from the impacts of Covid-19. It allowed referred and listed projects to be consented by an expert panel rather than requiring them to go through ordinary resource consenting procedures.

A real-estate agent was awarded more than $75,000 in Baigent damages because his fair trial rights were breached during an Inland Revenue tax investigation.

A non-profit organisation successfully applied for a declaration that a non-statutory process that allowed pokie machine operators to relocate was unlawful under the Gambling Act 2003.

In August 2022, Local Government New Zealand released its template document “The guide to LGNZ standing orders: He aratohu i te anga tikanga whakahaere hui a LGNZ”. This document is meant to guide councils on updating their standing orders, which LGNZ encourages them to do following a local body election. Franks Ogilvie has examined whether this Guide reflects the legal obligations of local authorities.

An iwi leader successfully appealed a decision striking out his climate-change based tort claims against several major greenhouse gas emitters.