Often we are contacted by a child, after the death of a parent, to see whether they should make a claim against their parent’s estate. They may be unhappy with the size of the provision for them, or may have been excluded completely. Equally we have faced questions from ...
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There has been much discussion in the media about the difficulty of buying your first home. The government has released the Kiwibuild scheme to both fanfare and criticism. People who qualify enter a ballot for homes, yet to be built. The income level limits for qualification for singles and couples ...
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The ‘bank of mum and dad’ is probably the most used bank anywhere in the world. However, all too often, loans between family members are not formally recorded. This creates complications if family members later fall out or one party dies. The issue then is whether the advance was a ...
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A recent survey conducted by Westpac, of their members, found that just 25 per cent knew that the funds in KiwiSaver could be split between a separating or divorcing couple.
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Sometimes the Court can order an unequal division of relationship property when a couple separates - find out why...
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Generally if you are your child's biological parent then you are their guardian - but sometimes there are more complicated circumstances which apply and guardians have to be appointed by the Court.
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What are they? Aren’t they just for "old" people?
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The recent tragic deaths of Jerry Collins and his wife bring to light the importance of not only having current Wills but of having provision for the care of any child you may have should both parents die. Many people assume that if they die, the other parent will be ...
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When going through a separation, trusts have often been viewed as "safe" bets to protect assets from being divided. However section 182 of the Family Proceedings Act gives the court significantly greater power to deal with property owned by a trust.
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The Ministry of Social Development are scrutinising applications for residential care subsidies. They are now, more than ever, expressing that people are required to look to their own resources first before asking the state to pay.
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Is New Zealand finally catching up to other OECD countries in the paid parental leave stakes? In this article Peter van Keulen looks at the current paid parental leave entitlement and the possibility surrounding an increase to six months if Sue Moroney's Members' Bill is passed.
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Major changes have been made to the Family Court processes in an effort to reduce the number of Family Court appearances and reach child care agreements via other avenues.
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