Send us your feedback In this episode, Partner Neil Millar interviews Partner Tom Maasland, head of our Technology division, to discuss the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the M&A landscape. Tom provides expert insights into how AI is enhancing efficiency and accuracy in key areas of the M&A process, from due diligence to contract drafting and integration strategy. He also addresses the opportunities and challenges of adopting AI tools within the complex regulato...

Send us your feedback In this episode, Corporate and Commercial Senior Associate Suzy McMillan is joined by Employment Partner June Hardacre to continue their discussion on employee and workplace privacy considerations.In their previous episode, June and Suzy highlighted key policies and practices organisations should implement to ensure compliance with employee privacy obligations. In this episode, they take a deeper dive into the topic, this time focusing on the actionable privacy rights of...

Send us your feedback In this episode, Partner Neil Millar interviews Aaron Lloyd, a Partner in our Litigation and Dispute Resolution division on buyer remorse in M&A deals. They delve into the complexities of post-acquisition disputes and the strategies that businesses can use to protect themselves. They highlight the importance of clarity in sale agreements, common pitfalls, the significance of acting swiftly on claims, and the role of holdbacks, escrow, and guarantees in managing risk....

Send us your feedback In this episode of Data Room, Partner Neil Millar is joined by competition law expert Jennifer Hambleton to dissect the recent decisions made by the Commerce Commission (Commission) regarding the proposed acquisitions of Serato by AlphaTheta and the Foodstuffs merger. They explore the implications of these decisions on competition in the DJ software and grocery markets, the factors that led to the Commission's rejections and the emerging trends in regulatory scrutiny of ...

Send us your feedback In this episode, Partners Gillian Service and June Hardacre, in our Employment team provide an insightful update on key employment law developments. They discuss key topics including worker status, good faith breaches, the integration of tikanga into employment law and potential changes on the horizon. [01:00] June provides an overview of key cases, focusing on worker status, good faith, and non-publication orders, with notable developments from the Employment Cour...

Send us your feedback In this episode, Partner Neil Millar and Senior Associate Tayla Johnston from our Corporate and Commercial team dive into the current state of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in 2024 and their outlook for 2025. They revisit their 2024 M&A Forecast, reflecting on key market trends, and explore what may lie ahead for the industry, particularly focusing on private equity, trade buyers, and distressed assets. They also cover the challenges posed by cautious buyers and...

Send us your feedback In this episode, Senior Associate Kate Cruickshank in our Corporate and Commercial team, talks with Sarah Sun, Head of Digital & AI Whare, and Jenna Whitman, Chief Information Security Officer at government agency Callaghan Innovation, about the latest AI initiatives it has helped develop to support NZ businesses: The AI Activator and GovGPT.[00:55] Kate begins the episode outlining recent developments in AI policy and direction in New Zealand, noting how the recentl...

Send us your feedback In this episode, Partner Tom Maasland and Senior Associate Libby Conole from our Technology team discuss the impacts of EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on New Zealand businesses working with overseas suppliers. They explain why GDPR really matters in the New Zealand context, and how best to navigate related contractual terms.[01:30] Tom and Libby begin the episode by considering what GDPR is, and why it matters to New Zealand businesses, particularly when de...

Send us your feedback In this follow-up episode, Partner Jeremy Muir from MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Financial Services team, reconnects with Shane Marsh, co-founder of Dosh, to discuss the recently released Commerce Commission market study report on personal banking services (Report). They explore its potential impacts on the banking industry and share insights into the future of digital banking in New Zealand.[01:22] Jeremy and Shane discuss the key finding of the report; that New Zealand's pe...

Send us your feedback In this follow-up episode Special Counsel, Sonya Forbes and Senior Associate, Suzy McMillan both from MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Corporate and Commercial team, continue their discussion on the status of consumer data rights in New Zealand.In their last episode, Sonya and Suzy provided an insightful overview of the recently released Customer and Product Data Bill. In this episode they focus on the evolving open banking ecosystem in New Zealand, examining how it is being shap...

Send us your feedback In this episode, Richard Wells, a Partner in our Corporate and Commercial team, talks with Senior Associate, Sarah Redding, about the legal fundamentals of limitation of liability clauses; how to interpret and negotiate them and why it’s important to strike a contractual balance of fairness when utilising these types of clauses. [01:19] Richard and Sarah begin the episode talking through the basics of limitation of liability clauses, explaining how they cap a party'...

Send us your feedback In this episode, Jeremy Muir, a Partner in our Financial Services team, talks to Shane Marsh, co-founder of Dosh, an innovative digital banking app provider. They talk about the changing landscape of banking in New Zealand and Dosh’s plans to become a registered bank.[01:11] Jeremy and Shane discuss the differences between traditional banks, with physical branches and long-established customer bases, and digital banks, which operate exclusively online through the latest ...

Send us your feedback In this episode, Corporate and Commercial Senior Associate Suzy McMillan is joined by Employment Partner, June Hardacre to discuss employee and workplace privacy considerations.Suzy and June discuss key policies and practices organisations should consider implementing to ensure compliance with their privacy obligations in relation to the collection, treatment, and protection of employee information, and outline how this may differ from customer focused privacy compliance...

Send us a messageIn this episode, Special Counsel Sonya Forbes and Senior Associate Suzy McMillan delve into consumer data rights in New Zealand, providing an insightful overview of the recently released Customer and Product Data Bill (the Bill).[1:26] Sonya and Suzy start by explaining what a consumer data right (CDR) is and why it is important to both consumers and businesses in New Zealand. Sonya illustrates the concept further by providing tangible examples of how customer data can be use...

In this episode, Tom Maasland, a Partner in MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Technology team, talks to Madeline Newman, Executive Director of the AI Forum of New Zealand (AI Forum). Tom and Madeline discuss the use of AI in New Zealand, including the development of a national AI strategy, government engagement, and the AI Forum’s upcoming summit.[00:43 - 03:56] Madeline and Tom discuss the AI Forum’s recent workshop hosted by MinterEllisonRuddWatts. They highlight the six key action areas explore...

In this episode, Tom Maasland, a partner in MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Technology team, talks to ChatGPT-4o, the latest AI language model released by OpenAI, about itself and its impressive capabilities and in the process reveals some of the current limitations for the use of this technology.[01:47 - 05:55] Tom begins this fascinating interview asking ChatGPT-4o to introduce itself to listeners and define its main capabilities: What are its strengths and weaknesses for both every day and busines...

In this episode, Richard Wells, a Partner in our Corporate and Commercial team, and Senior Solicitor, Hannah Snelling, discuss the legal basics of confidentiality agreements; talking listeners through various considerations that are needed when drafting or reviewing this fundamental type of commercial agreement.[00:27] Richard and Hannah begin the episode noting the importance of confidentiality agreements in commerce; how they preserve the confidentiality of information, define its scope, an...

In this episode, Tom Maasland, a Partner in MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Technology team, and Rosie Park, a Senior Solicitor from the same team, discuss and demystify the world of networking services by explaining some frequently used technical terms and concepts used in contracts for these services.[01:12] Tom begins the episode noting that he and Rosie will examine network services contracts through the lens of a lawyer who has no prior background in tech contracts; what technical terms and acro...

In this episode, Libby Conole, a Senior Associate in MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Technology team, talks to Rosie Park a Senior Solicitor in the same team, about the challenges in transitioning to a new SaaS solution and how asking the right legal questions initially can make that process smoother for the customer.Following on from their earlier Tech Suite podcast; A deep dive into SaaS contracting from a customer perspective, Libby and Rosie explore a range of issues that should be considered by ...

In this episode, Tom Maasland, a partner in MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Technology team, talks to two solicitors from his team, Thomas Anderson and Luke Han, about new and upcoming EU legislation around AI and digital services, and the potential impacts that it might have on New Zealand businesses.[00:30] Tom begins by outlining the four key pieces of EU legislation, noting in particular the long extra-territorial reach that they may have over New Zealand tech businesses[02:20] Thomas discusses t...

In this episode, Tom Maasland, a partner in MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Technology team, talks to Simon Bridges, in his capacity as CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber, about the recently released report from the Auckland Tech Council, suggesting that three tech sectors can transform Auckland into a Global Tech Hub. Simon Bridges is a former lawyer, former National MP for Tauranga, was Leader of the Opposition, and a senior cabinet minister in John Key’s National-led government. As part of...

In this episode, Partner Richard Wells and Senior Associate Shona Foster delve into the intricacies of navigating standard terms and unfair contract terms in the technology sector, if you are presented with what you think could be an unfair contract term in a small trade contract. They explore the legal landscape surrounding these issues, discussing the implications of recent legislative changes and enforcement mechanisms by the Commerce Commission, and how this might impact on the way you...

In this episode, Partner Chris Young is joined by Senior Associate Briar Richardson to discuss intellectual property in the context of the rapidly evolving landscape of generative artificial intelligence (AI). They discuss the absence of AI specific IP legislation in New Zealand and outline existing copyright and patent laws and how these laws may impact use of generative AI. Touching on current legal cases including Getty Images in the UK and GitHub Copilot in the US, the episode outlines...

In this episode, Richard Wells, a Partner in MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ technology team, talks to Shona Foster, a Senior Associate in the same team, about the interaction between standard form small trade contracts and the unfair contract terms regime, with a focus on the use of such contracts by tech companies and online businesses. [1:22] Richard and Shona start off by giving a brief overview of the unfair contract terms (UCT) regime itself. They cover what it is, and when and where it...