Get to know Tiffany
/Solicitor Tiffany Utama joined Fee Langstone this month.
Read MoreSenior Associate Rachel Anderson joined Fee Langstone this month.
Read MoreOceana Gold (NZ) Ltd v WorkSafe NZ & Cropp Logging Ltd v WorkSafe NZ [2019] NZHC 365
On 7th March, the High Court of New Zealand released its decision regarding two appeals from sentences imposed pursuant to the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA).
Read MoreOwners Corporation No.1 PS613436T & Ors v LU Simon Builders Pty Ltd & Ors [2019] VCAT 286
Early morning on 25 November 2014, a resident of the Lacrosse Apartment building, in Melbourne, extinguished a cigarette in a makeshift ashtray sitting on a timber table on his balcony. A small fire started in the plastic ashtray, spreading to the table and then to the external cladding of the building. The cladding was made of Aluminium Composite Panels (ACP). These panels had a core containing highly flammable polyethylene, which was not compliant with the Building Code of Australia (BCA). The fire spread quickly up the side of the building, racing up thirteen floors in roughly fifteen minutes and causing extensive damage.
Read MoreFitzgerald v IAG New Zealand (2018) NZHC 3447
Insurers will welcome further confirmation from the High Court as to what is required when a policy agrees to repair a building to a “when new” condition.
Read MoreAndrew Little introduced a new Privacy Bill on 20 March 2018. There are a range of changes made to the old legislation. These proposed changes will impact on any organisation or business that holds personal information about clients or customers.
Read MoreOn both sides of the Tasman, two reports have been released in quick succession. The reports will undoubtedly have important implications for general insurers.
Read MoreThe Legal 500 Asia-Pacific Rankings 2019 were released recently and it was good news for Fee Langstone and a great start to the new year. Fee Langstone was ranked in Tier 1 for Insurance.
Read MoreWe are pleased to announce the appointment of Russell Stewart and Virginia Wethey as partners, effective 1 February 2019.
Read MoreThe Chambers rankings were recently released and we are pleased to announce Fee Langstone was ranked in Band 2 for Insurance. The feedback from those interviewed was that Fee Langstone staff were “adept in both contentious and non-contentious matters.” It was further noted that the firm’s “expertise extends to policy review and product liability disputes.” Philippa Fee was mentioned as a notable practitioner in the firm. She was also ranked individually in Band 1 for Insurance. Those interviewed said she “maintains a prominent position in the market” and clients “regularly engage her and have confidence in her.” Pauline Davies was also singled out, receiving a Band 2 ranking for Shipping, with interviewees praising her work in maritime insurance claims.
On Wednesday, 21 November a large group of Fee Langstone staff and family members braved the rain to run in the 2018 Corporate Challenge. Fee Langstone placed 22 out of 94 in the teams division. Luke Humphries was the first in for FL with a time of 19:33mins with Andrew Durrant closely behind him at 20:07mins. Ali Cornwell was our first female across the line at 25 minutes. Luke also came in as runner 31 out of 1049! After the race the team took shelter at Flying Burrito Brothers in Newmarket to refuel with burritos and tacos. Good work Team FL!
Braving the rain!
Get to know Jonathan Lewis, Senior Solicitor
Read MoreNapier City Council v Local Government Mutual Funds Trustee Ltd [2018] NZHC 2269
A recent High Court decision by Justice Hinton has considered whether an insurer can rely on an exclusion clause to deny indemnity in respect of an entire claim, where only parts of the claim were likely caught by the exclusion.
Read MoreGet to know a bit more about Luke, our new law graduate.
Read MoreOn 11 October 2018 the Financial Advice Code Working Group released the draft Code of Conduct for Financial Advisers which applies to insurance brokers (amongst others). Feedback was sought on the draft Code from interested parties by this Friday, 9 November. Fee Langstone has been following developments closely in this area because of the importance it has to all insurance brokers in New Zealand.
According to partner Craig Langstone, the draft Code raises a number of issues that need to be addressed before the Code is finalised. As a result Fee Langstone has made a formal submission on aspects of the draft Code. The Fee Langstone submission can be accessed here
Imogen Allan, one of our Senior Solicitors, recently hopped across the ditch for a two week secondment at the Sydney office of global law firm, Clyde & Co.
Read MoreThe new Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (the Act) came into force on 4 April 2016. One of the major objectives of the Act was to recognise and legislate for an increasing trend in employment relationships and in the workplace environment where multiple entities simultaneously have control of a workplace and those working in it. WorkSafe v Athenberry Holdings Limited [2018] NZDC 9987 is the first defended hearing to be brought under the Act.
Read MoreIn an update to a case covered previously in In Brief, leave for appeal to the Supreme Court was granted for Xu & Anor v IAG on 2 August 2018. The approved question for appeal is: “Was the Court of Appeal correct to dismiss the applicants’ appeal against the judgment of Nation J?”
Read MoreIn the latest entry in the long-running Feltex saga, the Supreme Court considered what amounts to an “untrue statement” in a combined investment statement and prospectus for an IPO.
Read MoreAt Fee Langstone we’re experts in the field of insurance law. We are a team of skilled litigation lawyers, able to work with you to provide strategies and robust solutions, fast.
The District Court has imposed fines totalling $1.104 million on Brand Developers Limited (BDL), trading as TV Shop, following convictions on 13 charges under the Fair Trading Act 1986 (FTA). The decision is a significant recent penalty judgment and provides useful guidance on how the courts assess culpability for misleading conduct affecting consumers.
The Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill has been reported back by the Education and Workforce Committee. The Committee has recommended, by majority, that the Bill be passed with amendments.
The Bill is intended to make the health and safety regime clearer and more focused on serious risks. It does this by introducing the concept of “critical risk”, changing some duties for smaller businesses, clarifying officer and landowner responsibilities, strengthening Approved Codes of Practice, and addressing how the Health and Safety at Work Act interacts with other laws.
In Candida Trustee Co Ltd v Teak Construction Group Ltd (in liq) [2026] NZHC 1352, the High Court considered whether a claimant creditor could compel liquidators to disclose a company’s professional indemnity insurance information prior to the claim being resolved.
In contract works claims, a frequent dispute – for both insurers and insureds – is precisely where to draw the line between cover for new “damage” and excluded construction defects. The damage and defects are often interlinked and untangling the issue involves technical evidence.
For anyone treating the upcoming Contracts of Insurance Act (‘CoIA’) as a box ticking exercise, the FMA’s open letter to insurers last week is a clear warning. The FMA expects insurers to be actively preparing for CoIA now, and has confirmed that implementation will form part of its ongoing monitoring and enforcement activities.
Trustees are personally responsible for expenses and liabilities during their trusteeship. However, it is a fundamental entitlement of every trustee that they have a right to be indemnified from the trust’s assets for those expenses and liabilities, where they have been reasonably incurred. Although personally liable, they are not required to pay out of their own pocket. This right has been recently endorsed and reaffirmed by the Supreme Court, and is enshrined in the Trusts Act 2019.
On 13 May 2026, the Supreme Court granted leave to the RH & JY Trust and its trustees to appeal the Court of Appeal’s decision in RH & JY Trust v WorkSafe New Zealand [2026] NZCA 12. The approved question is whether a trust and/or the trustees of a trust acting collectively is a “person” within the meaning of section 16 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA).
Lessons from Ahmed and Others v White & Co (UK) Ltd and Another
The UK Commercial Court’s decision in Ahmed and Others v White & Co (UK) Ltd and Another [2025] EWHC 2399 (Comm) provides a timely and helpful restatement of the principles governing notification of claims and circumstances under claims‑made insurance policies, and the limits of so-called “Hornet’s Nest” style notifications.
A Firm v LCRO & Ors [2026] NZHC 1039 (22 April 2026)
The High Court has overturned a decision of the Legal Complaints Review Officer (LCRO) concerning when a lawyer must cease acting under rule 13.5.2 of the Conduct and Client Care Rules, on the grounds that a member of the lawyer’s firm “is to give evidence of a contentious nature”.
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