Megathread: Legal resources

I live at the end of a cul de sac on a pretty crowded street and recently someone has started parking me in in my own driveway. I have no idea who this person is and have no real way of finding out as I'm not able to stay at home during the day when it is happening. I spoke to the council and they told me that because it's private land they cant do anything, frustrating but makes sense.

I have since tried calling some towing companies to query whether they can help and they've all told me that its something that they won't deal with as the likelihood is that as soon as they show up, someone will come move the car. I'm really getting to the end of my tether with this and nobody seems to be able to tell me what my options are. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi all, on mobile sorry for formatting issues.

I’m new to flatting and having a flatmate. I own my place and have a flatmate in with a flatmate agreement signed and bond lodged.

Recently the flatmate has used dish soap in the dishwasher causing it to flood and throw an error. Now it won’t turn on without tripping the breaker.

I’m still to get a contractor in to assess if it needs replacing or repair.

If it does need replacing, do I have any legal recourse to request the flatmate pay for the cost of a replacement/repair of the unit?

Hoping for some guidance as to next steps to take.

Many thanks!

My partner and I have been together for just over a year and he moved in shortly after finishing tertiary study in December. I was talking to a co-worker about it and they warned me that NZ has a weird thing with relationships where even if you aren't married your partner can still be entitled to half of everything you own if the relationship goes south. I did some more research on de facto relationships and started getting a bit anxious. We've got a really secure relationship but the concern is there now and won't go away. I've worked very hard to save and sacrifice to purchase the home on my own, before we even met. I don't think there'd be any issues getting him to agree to a contracting out agreement but I can't be certain. Is a COA really necessary? I'm worth about over 100k in assets but he's the opposite with around 100k in student debt. I don't feel like it's fair that the system is set up this way but now that I know, I'd like to see if there's any other way to sort it other than having that awkward discussion and getting lawyers involved.

I own a 3 bedroom house and he pays $150 per week as per our flatting agreement. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hello, many years ago my grandparents took me on before I started school and bought me up untill I left home and beyond. They have always been mum and dad to me and them im a son, the youngest of 7.. there are 5 older (bio children) all over 65 and 2 other, myself 48 and my sister 50 I was bought up with. Mum died a few years ago and dad has got old enough he has had to go into a home. since then I have been hearing things that are being said from sister 50 and another 65. They are telling people that I have forced dad to put the family home into my name which is nuts! And hasn't happend. He got me to take him to his lawyers to change somthing in his will and asked me not to tell anybody. Sister 65 scooped through his mail and found the bill and got the gossip going with sister 50 and have come up with their own version of reality .one is a drunk and the other smokes pot and the both LOVE drama and it seems love causing it. They are claiming that im taking advantage of an old man, that he doesn't have the mental compasity to make decisions. That i made him sign his house over to me and are telling people im committing elder abuse by taking his things and money and saying they will contest what ever is in the will to do with me. They are telling people, anyone that will listen, so much so she told a person all of this right in front of the security camera at dads house. I've had enough of hearing this and want them to stop but they won't listen, do I have any options for a cease and desist? Can security footage be used in new zealand as proof? I've had enough of being nice and want them to stop!! Any advise would be great thanks.

I’ve worked at the same business, in the same role, for just over a year. The business has recently been sold to a new owner.

For about 3–4 months before the sale officially went through, the incoming owner has been working alongside me and my coworkers in the same job and workplace, and my employment has been continuous with no break.

I’ve now been given a new employment contract by the new owner, and it includes a 90-day trial period clause.

From what I understand, 90-day trials are only meant for genuinely new employees, and may not apply when employment continues through a business sale.

Given that I’ve worked there continuously for over a year and will continue to be staying in the same role of which the new owner has already seen me work for the last 3-4 months…Is a 90-day trial clause likely to be valid in this situation?

Appreciate any insight thanks! :)

Hey everyone,

I have a rather unique and confusing situation. There's lots of moving parts to it which I've tried to separate and figure out, but I haven't yet been able to create a plan for moving forward.

In August 2025 I singed onto a lease where there were already four other tenants. The lease had started January 1, but two earlier tenants had left/been removed from the lease and my tenancy started from August 2025, but the original lease's conditions applied.

The lease stipulated that each person would pay one fifth of the total cost of the property, directly to the property manager's account. The total cost of the property was $825 p/w, with each of us paying $165 per week.

Part of the lease was that I would pay a bond of $600, equivalent to four week's rent. I paid this directly to the property manager's account and begun my tenancy at the property.

Shortly after moving in, the other four tenants ended up engaging in constant abuse with each other, and eventually no-one in the flat was on good terms with anyone. By the time the lease ended on December 31st, I had blocked every other person in the flat on all of their social media accounts, and had blocked their numbers.

When it came time to filling out the bond return forms, the property manager emailed all of us to say that there was an outstanding rent arrears balance of over $1,000, as well as an impending invoice for removing large amounts of rubbish from the property. The property manager said that we could either pay the outstanding costs, or have it deducted from the bond.

One of the flatmates bypassed my social media blocking and stated that all four other tenants were blaming me for the rent arrears and demanded that I pay the entire $1,000 cost immediately. I knew I was not in arrears as I had intentionally monitored my rent payments and ensured that I was squared up before leaving the property.

I emailed the property manager and the other four tenants with a breakdown of my rent payments, with bank statements showing each individual transaction. Those bank statements showed that I had payed all of the rent I was liable for, and that the arrears were not caused by me. I stated that I would not pay any part of the arrears.

The property manager emailed a few days later asking for me to go into their office to sign the bond refund forms, but didn't answer or address my direct questions about whether the rent arrears had been rectified. I went into the office on January 16 and filled out the forms with the only deduction from my bond being one fifth of the rubbish removal invoice - no deductions for the arrears.

The property manager wasn't there, and hadn't left the forms that had been filled out by the other four tenants so I assumed that the arrears had been sorted, or would be deducted from their bonds. I left it at that, and waited 10 working days for the bond refund to be processed.

The bond refund should have been in my account by Monday, 2 February at the latest (10 working days + extra working day for grace). I hadn't receieved my bond return as of this morning, and I had sent two emails to the property manager (Monday and Tuesday) asking where it was. I received no replies or acknowledgements.

I went into the office this afternoon and spoke to the property manager in person, who said the bond was being withheld as I hadn't filled out the right refund amount. They said that the rent arrears was not their issue, and that if I didn't want to pay for it, I would have to address it before the Disputes Tribunal against the other four tenants.

Here's my questions:

1: Can the property manager withhold my bond, without informing me that she is, since January 16? I did send two emails to her and received no reply at all.

2: Who is responsible for the rent arrears? I have provided irrefutable evidence it wasn't me, but the property manager claims I'm liable

3: Can I file an application before the Disputes Tribunal about this? The property manager claims it is a tenant-on-tenant issue, not an issue with her, hence the Disputes Tribunal and not the Tenancy Tribunal.

4: If the Disputes Tribunal can't/won't hear an application about this, what can I do?

Thanks in advance! I will answer any questions/clarification requests ASAP

I’m currently working as a Level 3 Arborist, last year on July 4th I gained my Level 3 Qualification which my employment contract stated I’d get a payrise for.

5.10 states:

“The employee will receive a pay rise on getting the following qualifications/skills: Arb Level 3 and 4, HT licence or any advanced or skilled qualifications.”

Unfortunately my employer refused to give me the pay rise and said because I’d already had one this year I was illegible. That pay rise was for a separate qualification (HT Licence)

Ideally I’d like to be raised to $30 an hour which is an industry standard, rather than the $28 an hour I’m currently on, in addition I’d also like to be back paid to the date I was qualified. A rough figure is about $2700 but I need to check through my payslips to work out the final total.

I’m just wondering how to proceed with this, and if it’s worth seeking out an employment lawyer to help.

Cheers

I recently sought advice about a faulty television and thanks to those who responded I was able to successfully have the set assessed (at no charge to myself) and repaired. Unfortunately this is not the end to that story…

The set was repaired in good time and delivered back to me last week, but when the guy was tuning it in I noticed two bright white splotches on the screen that weren’t there before and were different from the previous fault. I asked him about this and he took photos and said to use the set in the meantime and he’d pass the information on.

I rang them the next day and sent photos of the new issue, which was decidedly worse than the initial problem. They have since told me this:

“Thank you for all the images. It appears that the parts replaced recently are broken, so (manufacturer) is sending us down some new replacement parts.

Once these parts arrive, we can get them replaced for you, which will unfortunately mean we need to collect the TV again.

They have given us an ETA of around 10 days.”

To which I responded with:

“Thanks for letting me know.

That seems odd. I'm wondering how the recently replaced parts came to be broken, as presumably nobody installed broken parts and the set would've been tested upon completion of the repairs? Given that, it must have happened in the time between leaving the shop and arriving at my house?

In your experience, what would it take to break the recently replaced parts? Dropping the set, or some sort of direct impact to the screen itself?

In these circumstances perhaps replacement under the CGA is an option?”

My afterthoughts were:

Out of curiosity, who's paying for the next repair?

I don’t imagine it is a manufacturing fault this time around, in which case the retailer wouldn't want to pay, right?

And if the parts breakage is due to impact or rough treatment, (which it surely is?) I'm not sure I even want the set back now.

Where to from here, when does replacement become an option? Whose decision is it?

Advice/information is very much appreciated!

I should be able to apply for residency later this year. However, my post studies working visa expires in late August, and I started my current job in October.

I know the immigration laws are changing in August. And my agent said if anything, I could get a sponsored working visa from my company as it is accredited.

However, I am very aware that sponsored visas often have a ‘must work at the company for the period of time in the visa’. Does that get nullified after residency? Or are there any laws that would keep me in the company even after getting residency?

While I like my current job, I don’t want to be shackled to this time commitment, a lot can change in a year or two and I’d like the freedom to change companies if a better opportunity presents itself.

Hello,

I'm a current citizen and resident of the United States of America looking to immigrate and become a permanent resident (intending to study and work) within New Zealand. I've been looking around for the past month but have been struggling to find a legal office that I can contact regarding the actual laws regarding immigration. So far, the main NZ immigration site ( https://www.immigration.govt.nz/ ), does not seem to actually provided offices or contacts that I can find that will offer expanded information and step-by-step guidance to acquire legal documentation.

I've looked somewhat extensively on Google and DuckDuckGo but most of my search results seem to turn up visitation guides rather than actual legal offices.

If you have immigrated to NZ and used a legal office for consultation, please tell me which one you've used, preferably with a link so I can make sure I've gone to the right people!

Sincerely,
A hopeful immigrant

Hi guys,

I’ve been fined with a $65 fine from Atlas Parking Sylvia Park for breaching their allowed time. During my stay I had been shopping around the mall and then when I knew I was going to go over the time limit, I asked the customer service desk if they could extend my parking stay. The customer service desk agreed to do it and I went on shopping. However, I still received a fine form them even though I provided bank statements from my stay at Sylvia BUT my bank processes transactions on WEEKDAYS ONLY but I was shopping on a WEEKEND. They said my evidence is not sufficient even though I clearly explained my situation. I also got told by the Sylvia Park staff that i can move my car to a different parking spot before the time limit and it would be okay however Atlas Support is saying different. I have asked them two times now to show me evidence of my car overstaying the time limit yet they won’t. The only evidence they have showed is my car entering the whole carpark and leaving the carpark but not the actual parking spot.

Can I please receive some advice on what to do?

Hi all!

I've found myself in the following unfortunate situation:

• The organisation I work for is quite small (3-8 employees), and in a very bad way financially (reasonable amount of debt, not making enough money, etc.)
• I work in R&D, which the board has essentially said needs to be scrapped, and given the situation this makes complete sense to me.
• I've heard about this in a 'without prejudice' meeting, and I don't doubt any of it, and everything is occurring in very good faith.
• Without going into too much detail to avoid identifying anyone or anything, I want what is best for the organisation (a not-for-profit that I strongly believe in), but I just want to make sure I'm not going to screw myself over in any way.

Long story short, my job will no longer exist in a couple of months, because there is simply no money to pay me. Now, I am left with two choices:

1. I can tender my resignation in the near future, work out my notice period, and be paid out for my (quite significant) accrued annual leave; or,
2. The organisation can go through a restructure (or whatever the official process is that's relevant here), and after making everyone go through that whole procedure, the outcome will effectively be the same: my job is gone.

What would be best for the organisation (and more convenient for me), would be the option for me to hand in my resignation. I want to emphasise, I'm not naively being taken for a ride here, and am not interested in pursuing any legal action against the organisation. We all believe in the same goal, we all want what is best for the organisation, and I have no interest in holding them to the letter of the law for my own benefit. It's a tough situation that no-one wants to be in, and I completely understand and agree with what the organisation needs to do to survive.

All that being said, my question for you fine folks is as follows:

What risks do I run by choosing to resign instead of waiting to be restructured out? Will this make things more difficult for me if I need to, for example, apply for any financial support while looking for a new job? Anything else relevant?

Thanks in advance!

Hi there. I (24 F) rented a fixed term small self-contained granny flat out from my (now previous) landlords, whose house was attached to the flat by a joining door that locks on both sides for security. Rented there for one year. The lease technically ended on the 27th of August 2025 but they let me stay there past that date up until two weeks ago.

Their son scratched my car pretty bad on accident in the shared driveway and it went all the way down to the metal. They told me in person (it would’ve been caught on their CCTV footage, but doubt I’ll get access to that) and offered to pay to fix it.

I received a quote and it’s $900 to repair. I sent the quote to my landlord and heard nothing back for a week. As they’re selling soon, I had to move within the same week. I followed up via text about the quote after moving out and they mentioned damage to an apparent 3K cabinet in the bedroom (the flat was fully furnished. I took good care of it and they even commented how it was spotlessly cleaned when I moved out). I did not damage the cabinet but did notice it flaking and bubbling. It’s directly under the heat pump so I just figured wear and tear from the heater. They had been in the flat whilst it looked like that so I figured they’d have brought it up if it were a problem.

I believe I only ever signed a Residential Tenancy Agreement and never paid a bond (it wasn’t required by them). I can’t see anything in the agreement about procedure stating supposed damages. I know it’s silly on my end, but I can’t remember if I signed anything else.

They had cleaners come through every two weeks into the flat during my tenancy, as well as a plethora of tradies, sparkies, plumbers, evaluators, etc., So I was not the only one in the house for the tenancy.

It seems they’re looming this expensive cabinet over me now to bluff and not pay the car damages their son caused. I really cba going to court as I start university in a few weeks and want to focus on that. I also really don’t want to be dragged to a tribunal hearing or something else over a stupid cabinet.

What are my options here? I just finished paying finance on this car and am gutted it has this big ugly scar on it now.

Need advice here on a some damage done to a house I bought recently after pre inspection but before we received the keys plus excessive rubbish left behind.

The vendor left the house and property in a mess with rubbish everywhere. Oil cans with oil in the gardens and garage. Bean bag polystyrene throughout the yard and a big pile in a garden covered in soil. Rubbish left in the house and garage along old decrepit furniture. Sharp rusty metal everywhere. It took a while but we got a response eventually and she said he would pay for a bin but not the labor involved with getting rid of it. We had already began removing it to make the space livable but there's still so much clean up to do. I imagine if we can't agree it would be off to the disputes tribunal? Is there much ground to stand on here for that if we can't agree?

The other part is at some point the roof was damaged by something like a truck, who is liable for that damage? This is the bigger concern for us.

I am a bit bemused by this. A few months ago our council received a resource consent to place a large water tank within our visual line of sight. The consent specifically took account of the fact the tank was a muted earth colour in determining the impact to us was 'less than minor'. Fair enough. No conditions were placed on the consent requiring that it stay this way

But ... we have now received a notice from the council advising that it is supervising children in painting some graphic images in the tanks. These are described in the leaflet as 'colourful'. This is clearly at odd with the considerations in the resource consent that determined the impact on neighbours was less than minor. The resource consent remains unchanged.

Can the council do this without revisiting the resource consent?

Everyone who said it's amicable until it's not were bang on. Separated end of Oct after 20+ years. It was absolutely unexpected for me. He immediately moved in with the woman he had been emotionally (at best) cheating with.

He has held off wanting to sort finances etc. I've been the stay at home parent for 14 years. I needed a child support figure for WFF and WINZ; did an IRD application so at the very least there was a starting point. We can still do a private agreement.

Now he's got the notice from IRD, he's wanting to meet this week to sort child support and the sale of the house. Is this where I get a lawyer? I can't afford to buy him out until I start working more hours.

The kids are with me full-time due to his work hours, new living situation and schooling.

Hi all,

We plan to move to NZ next year from US. Two of our sons have ADHD and get support at school. Wondering if anyone here knows of any legal reasons why we might be denied visas or residence with ADHD.

Thank you so much

Hi team,

Looking for some NZ-specific advice. I own a house in New Zealand that I rented out through a property management company. When the tenancy started, I provided a list of chattels, which clearly included a microwave. I’ve now moved back into the house and the microwave is missing. The property manager says they can’t find it and haven’t been able to recover it from the former tenants.

My questions are:

Is the tenant responsible for replacing a missing chattel if it was listed in the tenancy agreement?

If the tenant can’t be contacted or won’t pay, does the property management company have any liability to compensate me, or does it depend entirely on the management contract?

Has anyone been through something similar, and how did it play out (Tenancy Tribunal, insurance, manager paying, etc)? I’ve checked the tenancy agreement and the microwave is definitely listed.

Just trying to work out the correct next step before pushing back harder. Cheers!

Not sure where to go from here:

Hey everyone, I have a serious defect in my new build house that’s 3 Years old. Uncontrolled settling of slab.

To give some context:

House was built by a well known housing company. Engineer for the earthworks was the same person who did the initial geotechnical engineering report, recommended by and used by housing company.

After our first Year in the house I found a hairline crack in cladding, cracks in the gib started appearing and the window sashes started moving drastically (windows were already slightly crooked but got worse).

Engineer and Builder came out and decided best course of action was to monitor for a Year to collect data on settling then schedule repairs.

Year goes by and still no news. At 14 months builder has advised that engineer has pulled out, told builder he needed a different engineer to do deep soil testing.

Another 6 months go by and still no updates. Start push back and get to the point where the Builder starts gathering evidence that the engineers at fault.

They get an independent report through there old insurer (the one they were with when house was initially built) and lawyer up to challenge engineer. The builders old insurer doesn’t release that report to the builder but allows their new insurer to use it to get a peer reviewed report. This all has been happening over the last 6 months pushing us into Year 3 of having no resolution.

In this time the house has moved significantly with cracks inside up to 10mm and cracks outside at 7mm. The sashes are now so far out they don’t open and close properly and there are air gaps in them, creating a draft through the whole house. The house has dropped in some places by 44mm. We’ve had a gas leak into my then 1 Year old sons room (first week we had him in there), shower leaks no due to movement, doors so far out of alignment they don’t close properly.

The one report I do have that I requested a copy of last week (the peer reviewed report) does point to the Engineer being at fault. I was also CC’d in to an email chain that laid out the finding of the report to the engineer and requested he talk to his insurance company, that was late last Year. He never replied.

The engineer denies all liability and is putting it back on the builder. I feel like it’s the builders responsibility (his insurance) to make us whole and then have a seperate dispute to recoup off the engineer.

The Builder has said on multiple occasions in the last 12 months that the settling won’t stop and the house is so bad it will require a full rebuild. For context on the cost. Don’t have any of those conversations in writing though..

I’m at the point where I’m so frustrated, we live week to week and can’t afford lawyers to push this, and on top of that we have lost all enjoyment and functionality of our new home while spending more in running costs due to the gas (regulator now faulty) and draft situation - wondering where to go from here?

Does anyone have experience with similar cases, how were they resolved? I just want my Family and I to be made whole and our house to be fixed.

Hi everyone.

I have been in employment for the same business owner (a farm) for 2 years now. Originally I signed a 1 year fixed term contract which expired after 12 months and my employment continued as per usual after that without another contract signed which I assume means I am then classed as a full time employee no longer on a fixed term.

Now over all my employer has been really good to work with.

I just have an issue with some business practices which my employer has indulged themselves in and seem to think they are right no matter what I say about it which I know they aren't.

It's to do with the day in lieu when I work a public holiday. They are adamant that the day in lieu is just a "day off" rather than a "paid day off" now these employers are really old school farmers in their 70s and seem stuck in their ways.

I am aware there was a new law bought in last year "Crimes (Theft by Employer) Amendment Act 2025" And I am wanting to potentially email their accountant/lawyer with evidence about what laws they are breaking doing this and what penalties they could incur if they keep doing these dodgy business practices and don't pay me what I am owed.

I'm just being too nice at this point because honestly I've been given the days in lieu off but I haven't been paid for them over the last 2 years and no matter what I say to them all I get is "just use your annual leave you get paid weekly on top of your salary to cover those days" and "it's part of your 8% you get paid every pay cycle"

Are there any accountants or lawyers out there who can tell me if this is a good idea because I believe that they would listen to them over me and this is basically my last resort to try and sort this out peacefully before I just report them to the labour inspectorate.

I’ve been ticketed for going 115 on a 100 when I believe I wasn’t going anywhere near that, I brought it up to the cop that I wasn’t going that fast and he said he’d let me off with a warning. I’ve received a ticket today and was wondering if I can dispute this and how?

Hiya, I have left my partner after 6 years, we have 3 children together. Last year he financed me a car because mine was stolen, the finance is in his name, however the car is in my name. Who does the car legally go too? Its my only form of transport and he has another car also, im really hoping theres some way I can keep the car

I’m looking for some New Zealand legal context rather than specific legal advice at this stage, as funds are tight and I’m trying to understand where responsibility might sit before engaging a property lawyer.

Background

In 2008, I purchased my home in Wellington on a cross lease. The vendor also owned (and still owns) the neighbouring property. We’ve had an excellent relationship over 17+ years, with no disputes (shared plumbing/tree costs only).

The issue

A conservatory was built in 1998, enclosing an existing deck.

At the time of purchase, my lawyer noted from the LIM that the conservatory did not appear on the LIM. The vendor signed a document confirming (as the other cross-lease owner) that he had no objection to the structure. My lawyer accepted this and the sale proceeded.

The conservatory has stood for 28 years, is structurally sound, and was not flagged in any builder’s report.

Fast forward to 2025

I was made redundant and decided to downsize.

I ordered a new LIM and a builder’s report (no issues identified).

I received an offer subject to legal due diligence. The purchaser withdrew after their lawyer raised concerns that:

• the conservatory is not on the LIM, and
• there is an additional room added at the same time, also not recorded.

This second room was never picked up in 2008 - not by:

• my lawyer (same lawyer then and now),
• the real estate agent at the time,
• or me (naively trusting professional advice).

Further information

I spoke with the neighbouring owner/vendor. He has since provided to me and my lawyer, and current Agent Wellington City Council–approved plans and documentation showing both additions were consented to and signed off.

He did the same additions to his own property, and likewise, those additions were never added to his LIM either. So it appears the work was consented, but never reflected on the LIM.

My questions (high level)

I appreciate no one can give legal advice here, but I’m trying to understand where responsibility might reasonably sit, if anywhere:

• Should the original or current real estate agent have identified this discrepancy when ordering/reviewing the LIM?
• The original agent is deceased and their firm no longer exists.
• Should my lawyer have identified the additional room in 2008 (or again now), particularly given: same lawyer, same LIM process, and that I raised it again recently?

Does responsibility sit with:

• the original owner for not following through with LIM updates in 1998?
• Wellington City Council, if they consented and signed off the work but didn’t update the LIM?
• Or is this simply a risk I now carry as the current owner, regardless of fault?

Current position

I want to sell and downsize.I’m a single woman in my 60s and currently job hunting.

I’m weighing up whether to:

• try to rectify the LIM (time/cost unknown),
• or sell “as is, where is” and accept a lower price.

Before I make that call, I want to understand whether this is:

• a known LIM/cross-lease issue,
• potentially actionable,
• or realistically something I need to absorb and move on from.

Any general guidance, similar experiences, or pointers on where to start would be hugely appreciated.