Dear customer, Welcome to the first Smith and Partners email newsletter of 2015. We trust the New Year has got off to a good start for you and your family and you’ve been enjoying the wonderful summer weather. We recently spent the day at Trust Stadium for the West Auckland Business Showcase organised by ATEED West. The event showcased a wide variety of local businesses including manufacturers and service providers. Thanks to all of you who visited our stand and played our basket/badminton game - everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. Congratulations to Colleen Acton from Quality Hotel Lincoln Green who won the lovely bottle of champagne. On March 26th we are hosting an event with the Rosebank Business Association (RBA) at our premises here in Lincoln Road. All our business clients are welcome to attend – you don’t have to be based in the Rosebank /Avondale area. The RBA is a great forum for business owners to connect. We promise it will be a fun and informal ‘after 5’ event. If you would like to join us for a beer or a glass of wine on the 26th please email wade.hansen@smithpartners.co.nz. In this newsletter you’ll find a check list for first home buyers and information about rates rebates, statutory demands, employee suspension, dispute resolution through mediation and working with the District Court. We look forward to helping you with any legal issues that arise during the year. If you’re wanting legal advice or have any questions about the articles in this newsletter, please don’t hesitate to contact one of us. Kind regards, Wade, Peter & Greg. PROPERTY LAW By Samantha Curtis First time home buyers Checklist Buying your first home is an important milestone. When there are multiple parties involved and big dollars at stake, the process can seem overwhelming. Like anything you do for the first time - there is a lot to learn. READ MORE >   PROPERTY LAW By Maria Hamber About Rates Rebates in New Zealand Some property owners are entitled to a discount of their Council rates – this is called a rates rebate. But what happens if a property is held in trust or in a retirement village? Does the rates rebate still apply? READ MORE > BUSINESS LAW By Linda Muller Time is of the essence when served with a statutory demand A company served with a statutory demand does not have the luxury of time. Steps can be taken to deal with the statutory demand, but action is needed as soon as possible. READ MORE > EMPLOYMENT LAW By Carolyn Ranson An Employer's Guide to Worker Suspension In cases of misconduct, an employer may want to suspend an employee while an investigation takes place. As always, getting the process right is crucial to ensure you are on solid ground before suspending. For information on suspension from an employee perspective, read this article. READ MORE > BUSINESS LAW By Peter Smith Mediation is a good way to settle disputes Settling commercial disputes by mediation is now a commonly used and widely accepted practice, but it does require some special skills to get the best possible results. Mediation is faster and the results achieved are almost always better than in a court process. READ MORE > LITIGATION By Ellen Harbridge Working with the District Court when in dispute What happens if you find yourself in a dispute that isn’t getting resolved outside of court? Court proceedings are inherently stressful however they’re necessary in certain situations to resolve a dispute and provide finality. Knowing the steps along the way will help. READ MORE > OUR SERVICES: Business Law | Employment Law | Property Law | Family Law | Litigation | Wills and Trusts | Estates | Elder Law   CONTACT US: Phone: 09 836 0939 Fax: 09 837 2500 Email: partners@smithpartners.co.nz Office: 293 Lincoln Road, Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand View Online Map »   If you no longer want to recieve these emails Click here to Unsubcribe All information in this newsletter is to the best of the authors’ knowledge true and accurate. No liability is assumed by the authors, or publishers, for any losses suffered by any person relying directly or indirectly upon this newsletter. It is recommended that clients should consult a senior representative of the firm before acting upon this information.