Amendments to the voting and notices procedures set out in the Companies Act 1993 will promote the utilisation of technology by companies and their shareholders to increase shareholder participation and reduce costs for companies.

Many creditors and investors in New Zealand businesses have unforunately become familiar with the terms ‘receivership’ and ‘liquidation’ in the last year or so.  The announcement that Whitcoulls has gone into ‘voluntary administration’ has introduced for many a new term for describing a business in jeopardy.  Receiverships, liquidation and voluntary administration each represent a business in strife and generally unable to pay its creditors in the ordinary course of business but what are they?

The application of the Takeovers Code by the Takeovers Panel has been a source of frustration for many closely-held companies who have been unnecessarily caught by the Code.  The Regulatory Reform Bill 2010 seeks to remedy this by setting clear and pragmatic thresholds for the application of the Code

With the Unit Titles Act 2010 due to come into force in June 2011 (hopefully), planning for the transition from the 1972 Act to the 2010 Act is no doubt underway for bodies corporate and body corporate secretaries.  Some of the changes brought in by the 2010 Act will have immediate effect, so now is the time to review existing arrangements.