Improving the law for dividing property when relationships end - Have your say
Links have been added for: This page, review page, public consultation page, Christchurch event page
When should the law treat two people as a couple? What property should they share if they break up and what property should only belong to one of them?
New Zealand has changed a lot in the last forty years, including how relationships and families are formed, how they function and what happens when relationships end.
The Law Commission is reviewing the 40-year-old Property (Relationships) Act 1976, which sets the rules for how to divide a couple’s property at the end of a relationship, and they want to hear your views.
The Law Commission has developed a paper, Dividing Relationship Property: Time for Change? - Te mātaatoha rawa tokorau – Kua eke te wā? This paper asks New Zealanders how the law could be better. You can view the Issues Paper and summary document, and access online consultation platform, from 16 October on this website.
A series of public meetings is being held around the country. Members of the Law Commission will be available to answer your questions and hear your feedback on the Issues Paper.
Some of the questions the Commission is asking are:
Does the law apply to the right relationships?
Is the right property being shared?
What should happen when trusts are used to hold property?
What should happen if one person is financially worse-off after their relationship ends?
Is tikanga Māori recognised?
How should the law meet the interests of children?
How can the law be inexpensive, simple and speedy while still being just?
Should the same law that applies when a couple separates also apply when one partner dies?
recall reminder for faulty bathroom heaters prone to fires
Recall reminder for faulty bathroom heaters prone to fires
3:28 pm today
www.rnz.co.nz...
The Serene S2068 model that was recalled last year due to a manufacturing defect. Photo: Supplied / WorkSafe
Households are being urged to check their bathroom heaters to ensure they're not a recalled model that has caused numerous fires.
This time last year the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) issued a compulsory recall for a specific model of Serene heaters, warning of a significant risk to lives and property.
Since then 16,000 heaters have been decommissioned, but MBIE estimates there are still thousands in operation in Kiwi homes.
MBIE spokesperson Ian Caplin said the recalled heaters have caused 19 fires, including two after the recall notice was issued.
"That's 19 fire events too many, they're obviously very dangerous.
"They've been recalled but it is something where there are plenty of them about so we would urge people to check if they've got them. If they've got them, switch them off."
Caplin said MBIE estimates there are approximately 28,000 Serene S2068 heaters still in properties across the country.
"Technically it is a criminal offence to use them because they are prohibited from use.
"They're considered by the regulator to be so unsafe that it's not just an offence to supply and sell them, it's an offence to switch them on."
He said anyone who discovered they had a recalled heater should switch it off and get it professionally disconnected by an electrician or the supplier it was bought from.
"We know over Christmas there were two fires because of these heaters, and as the heaters get older and the known issues inside them get worse, and as we get into colder months, we are likely to see more and more fires occur."
MBIE had been working with Master Electricians to improve the information available around the recall, both to New Zealand households and to the electricians and suppliers who were undertaking the recalls.
"We have also discussed the recall with the Insurance Council who have advised that a fire that occurs from these heaters may not be covered by your home insurance if you do not act on the recall guidance, so keeping them in your homes not only risks lives, but your savings too," Caplin said.
"We've heard from our overseas counterparts that they only see around 20 percent of the products returned when a recall is issued.
"The fact that we have almost 37 percent returned really highlights the work being done, but also the need for more people to make sure they are checking their bathrooms."
Find out more about how to check if your heater was included in the recall, what other models pose a risk, and what you can do if you have one of these heaters on the Consumer Protection website
Poll: Is your nearest emergency department up to scratch?
Concerns have been raised about Nelson Hospital with complaints of lack of staffing and excessive wait times. Do you have confidence in your local emergency department?
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36.9% Yes, it serves us well
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62.3% No, I have concerns
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0.8% Other - I'll share below
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