Litigation, Societies and Charities Team
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Litigation, Societies and Charities Team
The following legal services are primarily provided by our Litigation, Societies and Charities Team:
Societies and Charitable Trusts
- Formation and amendment of constitutions
- Incorporation of societies and trusts
- Registration of charities with the Charities Commission
- Constitutional problems and disputes
- Meeting procedure
- Independent Chairmanship of meetings
Litigation
- Advice and representation in all fields including debt recovery, contractual disputes, societies and charities, negligence, defamation, insolvency, liquor licences, leases, nuisance, trespass, companies, partnerships, neighbours, and insurance
- Advising and representing applicants, submitters and Councils on resource consent applications, subdivisions and development control, plans, enforcement, hearings and appeals, and as Commissioners for hearings
- Alternative Dispute Resolution, mediation, arbitration, negotiation
Want to know more about the Societies and Charities service?
Find out moreLatest News
Annual General Meeting of a Society or Charitable Trust under COVID-19 Restrictions
Background – the problem The COVID-19 epidemic resulted in restrictions on travel and public gatherings being imposed at a very awkward time, because most societies and charitable trusts were required by their Constitutions and by Statute to have their annual accounts (where their financial years ended on 31 December 2019 or 31 March 2020) approved […]
Not-for-Profits’ Obligations under their Constitutions and Statutes and COVID-19
The constitutions of most societies and charitable trusts require the holding of an Annual General Meeting within 3 or 4 months of their balance date (to allow time for accounts to be compiled and in many cases audited). 31 March is the balance date for the majority of societies and charitable trusts, with 31 December […]
Holding (or not holding) General Meetings of Members in extraordinary circumstances
The current issues relating to the COVID-19 virus give rise to some difficult problems for many organisations that are required to hold regular meetings of members (including companies and not-for-profit organisations such as societies and charities).
NEW INCORPORATED SOCIETIES ACT – WHAT EXISTING SOCIETIES WILL HAVE TO DO AND BE AWARE OF
This Article is based on what was proposed in the 2015 Exposure Draft Incorporated Societies Bill, but also having regard to some modifications signalled in the Minister’s June 2019 Cabinet Paper. The article will need to be revised after the new statute has been enacted, hopefully later in 2020. In the meantime, existing societies and […]