Dan operates a large dairy farm owned by his family trust. The trust was established by Dan’s grandfather. The trustees of the trust are Dan’s parents. Dan is a beneficiary of the trust and an only child. Dan grew up on the farm and always intended to work the farm when he had finished his […]
The government has recently introduced new tests to improve property tax compliance when buying and selling property in New Zealand. Some have suggested that the true reason behind the tests is to curb property speculators and scare off foreign buyers. Regardless of this, the new tests are seen as an attempt to limit soaring house […]
Farm worker accommodation is covered under the Health and Safety Regulations 1995 – this may come as a surprise to many farm owners. These Regulations set certain standards for agricultural worker’s accommodation. Significantly, all farm worker accommodation must either contain, or have access to, certain facilities, including toilets, washing, sleeping, heating and refrigeration facilities. Accommodation must […]
Recently I have been discussing equity partnerships with some of my farming clients. I wanted to find out what makes an equity partnership successful. An equity partnership is a joint venture vehicle that allows two or more people to use their combined equity to invest in an agreed purpose. The rapid increase in farm land values has […]
It is widely believed that having the family farm in a trust is the best form of farm asset protection. But does a trust protect your farm from a relationship property claim? A trust does offer protection from a relationship property claim , however it cannot be relied upon as the sole means of protection. […]
Dan was employed as a farm hand. His job included getting the cows in for milking, shifting fences, some weed spraying, and feeding calves when necessary. He was often left to work alone and had sole charge of farm machinery and vehicles. Over time his boss noticed Dan was less focused, he made simple mistakes, […]
In 2014, Dairy NZ will roll out a farm governance training course. Based on the successful pilot program run in 2013, with both options offered over 5 days (an initial 2 day module followed by 3 separate one day seminars), the course targets two distinct business stages: Developing Governance for Dairy Farmers – for businesses […]
As a dispute resolution lawyer it gives me a real kick when I am able to help my clients achieve a great result. I recently spent three weeks in the High Court (with Murray Branch of Harkness Henry) doing just that. At the end of the three week trial, I felt that win or lose […]
Writing a blog is a little like keeping a diary – a pretty solitary pastime until your inner musings become public! For years I have kept a “farm diary’ of sorts where I have faithfully recorded stock numbers and weather events alongside details of when my daughters slept through the night (hooray!) or picked up […]
