Business Set Up Articles
Expert articles and practical legal guides on business set up for new zealand businesses.
Employer’s Guide: How To Prepare Payslips (2026 Updated)
Payslips might feel like “admin”, but they’re one of those simple documents that can make (or break) trust with your team. If you’re paying someone for work, your employees should be able...
5 January 2025
Do I Need A Debt Collection Agreement? (2026 Updated)
Getting paid on time is one of those “unsexy” parts of running a business that can make or break your cash flow. If you’ve ever had to chase an overdue invoice (or...
5 January 2025
How Does A Company Issue Shares? (2026 Updated)
If you’re growing a company, raising capital, bringing in a co-founder, or rewarding key team members, issuing shares can feel like the “next big step” - and it is. But it’s also...
5 January 2025
How Can You Tell When Having A Hobby Turns Into Running A Business? (2026 Updated)
It usually starts innocently. You make candles on weekends, take photos for friends, bake for family events, or sell a few handmade items online “just to fund the hobby”. Then you’re suddenly...
5 January 2025
What Is The Difference Between A Partnership Structure And A Company Structure? (2026 Updated)
Choosing a business structure is one of those “boring now, lifesaving later” decisions. If you’re starting a business with someone else (or planning to bring in co-founders, investors, or even key contractors),...
5 January 2025
Joint And Several Liability Of Partners (2026 Updated)
If you’re going into business with someone else, a partnership can feel like the simplest option: you split the workload, share the costs, and build something together. But partnerships come with one...
5 January 2025
Term Sheet vs Shareholders Agreement – What’s The Difference? (2026 Updated)
If you’re raising money, bringing on a co-founder, or finally turning “this could be big” into an actual company, you’ll probably hear two documents mentioned early: a term sheet and a shareholders...
5 January 2025
Why You Need T&Cs For Your Mechanical Workshop (2026 Updated)
Running a mechanical workshop is hands-on work. You’re diagnosing faults, ordering parts, keeping customers updated, and trying to get cars back on the road quickly (without cutting corners). But while the work...
5 January 2025
What is a Buyer’s Agent Agreement? (2026 Updated)
If you’re using a buyer’s agent to help you purchase property (or even negotiate a high-value acquisition), it’s easy to assume you’re “on the same team” and that everything will work itself...
5 January 2025
What Should Your Partnership Agreement Include? (2026 Updated)
Going into business with someone you trust can feel like the easiest part of starting up. But when money, customers, deadlines and decision-making enter the mix, even great relationships can get complicated...
5 January 2025
How To Open A Cafe (2026 Updated)
Opening a cafe is one of those business ideas that feels exciting and real at the same time. You can picture the menu, the fit-out, the smell of coffee in the morning,...
5 January 2025
Can You Trust An Online Lawyer? (2026 Updated)
Hiring a lawyer used to mean taking time off work, travelling across town, and hoping you’d picked the right person based on a vague recommendation. Now, you can get legal help from...
5 January 2025
How To Start An Instagram Business (2026 Updated)
Starting an Instagram business can feel like the perfect mix of creative and commercial - you get to build a brand, connect with customers, and sell products or services directly from your...
5 January 2025
Is Rent Abatement The Same As Free Rent? (2026 Updated)
If you’re negotiating a commercial lease (or already stuck in a tricky tenancy situation), “rent abatement” and “free rent” can sound like the same thing: you don’t pay rent for a period....
5 January 2025
A Business Owner’s Guide To Setting Up A Retail Store (2026 Updated)
Opening a retail store is one of those business goals that feels both exciting and slightly terrifying. You can already picture the fit-out, the shelves, the first day of trading, and your...
5 January 2025
Running A Gym? Navigating The National Fitness Industry Code Of Practice (2026 Updated)
Running a gym can be an amazing business - you’re building a community, helping people hit big goals, and creating a space where members feel better in their own bodies. But once...
5 January 2025
What Is A Shareholders Agreement? (2026 Updated)
Starting (or growing) a company with other people can be exciting - you’re pooling skills, sharing the workload, and building something bigger than you could alone. But once there’s more than one...
5 January 2025
What Are Franchising Royalties? (2026 Updated)
Franchising can be an exciting way to grow a business (if you’re a franchisor) or step into a proven model (if you’re a franchisee). But one of the first questions people ask...
5 January 2025
All You Need To Know About Agency Relationships & Agreements (2026 Updated)
If you’re growing a business, chances are you’ll eventually have someone acting “on your behalf” - a salesperson negotiating deals, a broker sourcing customers, a property manager signing tenants, or a consultant...
5 January 2025
Is It Illegal To Pay Cash In Hand In New Zealand? (2026 Updated)
“Cash in hand” is one of those phrases that can mean totally different things depending on who you ask. Sometimes it simply means paying someone in cash instead of by bank transfer...
5 January 2025
What Is A Company, Anyway? (2026 Updated)
If you’re starting a business in New Zealand (or you’ve already started and you’re now thinking “should this be a company?”), you’re not alone. “Company” is one of those words people use...
5 January 2025
Building A Successful Online Marketplace: Legal Tips (2026 Updated)
Online marketplaces are everywhere now - from niche “pre-loved” platforms to B2B directories and service marketplaces that match customers with providers. If you’re building your own, it’s an exciting move because you’re...
5 January 2025
What You Need To Do As The Director Of A New Company (2026 Updated)
Setting up a new company is an exciting milestone. You’ve probably put a lot of thought into your product or service, your brand, your pricing, and how you’ll get customers through the...
5 January 2025
What Is A SAFE Cap Table, And Why Do I Need It? (2026 Updated)
If you’re raising money for your startup, you’ll hear a lot of jargon pretty quickly - “cap table”, “SAFE”, “valuation cap”, “discount”, “pro-rata”, and so on. And while it might feel like...
5 January 2025
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