Small Medium Enterprises - Wotton Kearney

Articles

New $10 million environmental fines: What dairy farmers and SMEs need to know

By: Neil Beadle and Finlay Watson What has changed? New Zealand’s Resource Management Act’s new maximum fine of $10 million for corporate offenders has attracted significant attention.1 For large corporates, the message from New Zealand Parliament appears clear. What was once a $600,000 maximum fine has become $10 million. The intent is plainly to expose serious […]

By : Tracey Govind Aug 14, 2026 Comments Off

WK News

Get to know Lucille Stewart: Special Counsel in WK’s Adelaide office

We recently caught up with Lucille Stewart, Wotton Kearney’s newest Special Counsel in Adelaide, about her move to the firm, her South Australian insurance experience, and what she is looking forward to in her new role. The strategic appointment of Lucille as Special Counsel in WK’s General Liability group builds on the strength of the […]

By : Joshua Weiler Aug 12, 2026 Comments Off

Articles

2026 workplace law changes: What employers need to know

By: Sian Gilbert, Ellie Jongma and Rachel Ralevski As the new financial year begins, new workplace law changes are in effect. These changes require attention and action by employers to ensure that businesses are compliant with the new regulations and procedures. National Minimum Wage and Minimum Award The Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review decision […]

By : Joshua Weiler Jul 7, 2026 Comments Off

Case Alerts

Court of Appeal finds trusts are criminally liable under HSWA: What are the implications for insurers?

By: Misha Heneghan, Richie Flinn, Neil Beadle, Matt Hutcheson and the WK Statutory Liability team. RH and JY Trust v WorkSafe New Zealand [2026] NZCA 12 The Court of Appeal has, by majority found that a trust, distinct from the individual trustees, can be prosecuted under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. The […]

By : Joshua Weiler Feb 24, 2026 Comments Off

Articles

The IT professionals claims landscape in 2023

Claims against IT professionals following cyber events continue to be on the rise. Businesses including managed services providers (MSPs) and cloud services providers (CSPs) that are responsible for hosting data on behalf of their clients continue to be common targets for cyber criminals. While MSPs and CSPs are not always the direct victims of a […]

By : Anja Vogel Mar 29, 2023 Comments Off

WK News

New partner for W+K’s Cyber, Privacy and Data Security team

W+K’s Cyber, Privacy and Data Security team has further bolstered its market-leading reputation with the promotion of Wellington-based Joseph Fitzgerald to partner. Joseph, who has worked in both New Zealand and the UK, advises large sporting, health, education and infrastructure bodies, as well as SME and non-profit entities on cyber and data security risks. He […]

By : Anja Vogel Feb 22, 2022 Comments Off

Articles, Thought Leadership

General Liability Trends Update: Towards 2022

2021 presented the general insurance industry with many uncertainties. Our 2020 GL Trends Report provided foresight into several trends that have impacted, and continue to impact, the general liability market in Australia and New Zealand, including historical abuse claims across different sectors, concussion and its impact on sport, as well as COVID-19 risks as it […]

By : Anja Vogel Dec 9, 2021 Comments Off

WK News

W+K announces partnership with Canopy Software to deliver cyber forensic solution

W+K has partnered with Canopy Software, the leaders in AI-powered data mining and breach review software, to deliver a tech-enabled Cyber Forensic solution. By using Canopy’s Data Breach Response software, W+K can now significantly reduce the time, cost, risk and effort associated with the defensible detection of sensitive data, thereby delivering faster and more accurate […]

By : Anja Vogel Oct 21, 2021 Comments Off

Articles, Thought Leadership

NZ Insurance Market Trends Update

Welcome to Wotton Kearney’s NZ Insurance Market Trends Update, our biannual snapshot of legal trends and developments impacting claims managers, underwriters, brokers and corporates operating in the New Zealand market. In this edition, we look at the impact of recent matters in the areas of D&O claims, representative actions and EPL. We provide updates on […]

By : Anja Vogel Feb 23, 2021 Comments Off

Articles

2021 Insurance Predictions Report

Wotton Kearney is pleased to provide our 2021 Insurance Predictions Report, looking at the major trends and issues we expect will remain in the spotlight for the insurance industry in our region this year. It’s no surprise that this report addresses some of the horizon issues that we expect to face in the wake of […]

By : Anja Vogel Feb 16, 2021 Comments Off

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