Our Articles

From 1 April 2019, businesses will get an average 6.9% reduction to their ACC levy, saving them $100 million over the next two years. All employers and self-employed people working in New Zealand pay a Work levy that goes into the Work Account to cover any accidents that happen in the workplace.…
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Minimum wage rises When: 1 April 2019 What: The new minimum wage rates, before tax, are: Adult — $17.70 an hour Starting-out — $14.16 an hour (up from $13.20) Training — $14.16 an hour (up from $13.20) Read our page on minimum pay rules for a summary of who can earn the…
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Gumboot Up NZ! Mike King and mental health charity I AM HOPE calls for New Zealanders to wear gumboots on Friday 5 April to support kids in need.New Zealander of the Year, Mike King and I AM HOPE are asking New Zealanders to wear their gumboots to work or school on Gumboot Friday (5 April) for a…
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Mapping out the next 12 months for your business is as easy as one, two, three. Follow Fiona Clark’s three-step approach to business planning. And the time to do it is now. It’s the beginning of the year and some business owners have returned from their holidays, have spent time with family and…
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How to give Notice to Your Tenant There are two types of tenancy agreements which a landlord and tenant can enter into: periodic tenancy and fixed term tenancy. Periodic tenancy has no fixed end date, while a fixed term tenancy has a specified end date. To end a periodic tenancy, a landlord must…
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Especially due to changes in the law that come into force in May 2019, it's crucial to understand the difference between trial periods and probationary periods and why the distinction matters between trial periods and probationary periods They are different “animals” First, a trial period as…
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Inland Revenue is advising customers to always use its secure online services to update bank details and avoid scammers who target Kiwi taxpayers. Automatic tax refunds are coming this year and in the last month two e-mail scams surfaced asking taxpayers to fill in a form to receive a refund owed…
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Life Education was founded in New Zealand by Trevor Grice Life Education has been educating and empowering kids for over 30 years in New Zealand. Founder Trevor Grice originally visited Australia to see if the programme could work well in Aotearoa. Three decades on and the programme visits a…
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We have recently received a letter from IRD on a client behalf (nothing new in that) but it’s the first time we have seen a letter headed - ACT NOW TO AVOID LOSING YOUR ELIGIBILITY TO AN INTEREST FREE STUDENT LOAN The letter goes on to say… The condition of being granted this is that you…
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From 1 April 2019 employers must: file employment information every payday instead of an Employer monthly schedule (IR348)provide new and departing employees' address information, as well as their date of birth - if they have provided it to you, and file electronically (from payday compatible…
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No secrets, no surprises. Travel insurers have revealed a spike in queries about pre-existing conditions in the wake of a high-profile case in which a woman didn't receive a payout after failing to reveal a pre-existing bowel condition.Abby Hartley died in a Hospital in Bali after becoming ill from…
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When someone in New Zealand dies without a will, dealing with their estate is more complicated than if they had died with one. Dying without a will is called “dying intestate”. When you have made a valid will, in it you decide who will deal with your estate and how your assets will be…
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The Potential Issue for all Businesses Business contracts and business conduct, especially in relation to consumers but also in relation to B2B contracts, have been subject to much attention by the Commerce Commission (CC). That sounds a warning to businesses of all kinds and sizes to ensure that…
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A Hastings couple, who operated dairies, restaurants and other businesses, have been sentenced to prison and home detention on tax evasion charges totalling nearly a million dollars.Rakesh and Nalini Kumar operated Red Chilli Restaurants and Take Away in Taradale and Indian Palace Restaurant in…
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Inland Revenue kicks off a major public information campaign to tell New Zealanders what the biggest changes to the tax system in a generation will mean for them. Almost every household and business will be affected and the campaign, including print, radio and online advertising, a website, and…
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The summer holidays offer a good opportunity to get together and discuss plans for your family business. But there are some rules you should follow to make sure it’s only the barbeque that gets heated! Dinner discussions: Why they're important Working in any family business – where two or more…
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Earlier this year the Government announced its intention to change the GST treatment of low-value imported goods. Although not a new tax, this proposal has been called the “Amazon tax” in the media, because overseas internet-based retailers, such as Amazon, are the target of the rule change. The…
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In December 2017, we published “introducing a better way to invoice”, our first blog on the development of your new, better way to invoice – being more intuitive, reducing clutter, and saving time by automatically taking care of accounting information for you. We’ve been listening to feedback…
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Traders must take seriously their terms of trade and other forms of contract to ensure that they don’t contain unfair contract terms. Traders should also ensure that they don’t engage in misleading or deceptive conduct in trade. The Commerce Commission is policing these matters with some vigour –…
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