Business Law Library & Tracker
Selected Business Law Cases
Short explainers for court decisions that change how New Zealand businesses handle contracts, staff, customers, IP and company duties.
Sources last reviewed 20 July 2026
Main law guides
42
Acts, regulations and codes worth reading first
Topics
16
Plain-English clusters
Published case explainers
9
Selected cases with a business lesson
Tracked updates
6
New, amended & reviewed
Plain-English explainers, not legal advice. Use the linked official source for section-level detail, and get advice for your situation.
Get legal helpYan v Mainzeal Property and Construction Ltd (in liquidation)
Directors of a group company need evidence that promised support is real, sufficient and available when required. Comfort from a shareholder or related company is...
Bathurst Resources Ltd v L & M Coal Holdings Ltd
If a payment or milestone trigger matters, draft it so an outsider can apply it without reconstructing months of negotiations. Context may help, but clear drafting...
Gill Pizza Ltd v A Labour Inspector
Calling workers contractors does not prevent a Labour Inspector from testing their status in an enforcement claim. Franchisees and other small businesses using...
127 Hobson Street Ltd v Honey Bees Preschool Ltd
Commercial default clauses can be enforceable when they protect a real business interest and are proportionate. Drafting should show why the obligation matters,...
Debut Homes Ltd (in liquidation) v Cooper
A controlled wind-down still needs a lawful creditor plan. Directors should not keep trading merely because completion may improve the net position if the plan...
Lodge Real Estate Ltd v Commerce Commission
Competitors should not coordinate how they will pass on costs, set fees or respond to a supplier price change. Even informal industry discussions can create...
Mobil Oil NZ Ltd v Development Auckland Ltd
A general make-good clause may not allocate expensive contamination or structural remediation risk. Commercial leases for industrial or higher-risk sites should...
Allied Concrete Ltd v Meltzer
If a customer is in financial trouble, getting paid is not always the end of the story. Suppliers should keep evidence of ordinary trading, value given and what...
James Bryson v Three Foot Six Limited
A contractor agreement cannot carry an employment model that operates in the opposite way. New Zealand businesses should review the contract and daily reality...