Put a workable conflict of interest policy in place

The main risk is usually not whether people understand the idea of a conflict, but whether the business has a clear process for dealing with one when it arises. A written policy can set expectations around disclosure, decision-making, record keeping, and who steps back from a matter. Without that structure, businesses can end up handling similar issues inconsistently, which can create internal friction or external scrutiny. A policy is especially useful where directors, founders, managers, or staff may have overlapping commercial interests, family links, side roles, or supplier relationships.

A conflict of interest policy will often define what counts as an actual, potential, or perceived conflict, explain when disclosures must be made, identify who receives those disclosures, and set out the steps for managing the issue. That might include recusal from decisions, restrictions on access to information, approval requirements, or internal recording procedures. Depending on the organisation, the policy may also address gifts, outside employment, related-party dealings, procurement decisions, and board-level conflicts. The drafting should match how decisions are really made inside the business, not just governance theory.

The wording usually turns on your structure and the kinds of relationships that create real risk in practice. A founder-led company, a professional services firm, and a healthcare organisation may all need different examples, reporting lines, and approval pathways. We would usually look at who can create or influence decisions, whether there is a board or management layer, and what kinds of external interests are common. If your business collects, uses and shares sensitive information as part of its operations, that can also affect how conflict management and confidentiality points should be expressed.

A generic template may cover the headline concept, but it often stays too abstract to be useful day to day. If the policy does not fit your reporting lines, approval process, or the kinds of conflicts your people actually face, it can be ignored or applied unevenly. For example, a business with founder-directors and related entities may need different wording from a company dealing mainly with employee gifts and supplier relationships. Tailored drafting can make the policy easier to follow and easier to apply when a real issue appears, rather than sitting unused in a folder.

Timing depends on how much existing material you already have and whether the policy is being drafted from scratch or reviewed and updated. In many cases, the process is relatively straightforward because the key task is turning your governance approach into clear policy wording. We will usually gather the relevant background, prepare the draft or review comments, and then make the included amendment round if needed. If the matter expands into broader governance restructuring or ongoing advisory work, that would usually need a separate scope rather than sitting inside this fixed-fee.

Submit an enquiry on this page or click 'Get started'. One of our legal consultants will review it within 1 business day and get in touch to understand what you need.

Your consultant will then email you a fixed-fee quote setting out the cost, scope and timing. If you're happy with it, you can accept the quote and sign our engagement letter online.

Once you've accepted, one of our Australian-qualified lawyers will work with you to complete your project. They'll contact you by email or phone if they need anything.

Sprintlaw works on fixed-fee pricing wherever possible, so you can review the scope and cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the Conflict Of Interest Policy service, pricing starts from $900.00.

After you enquire, a legal consultant will confirm what is included, the expected timing and whether any extra work is needed before you engage us.

We work online, so we can help wherever you are in New Zealand. Our team works remotely, mainly from Australia.

Your work is done by our Australian-qualified lawyers, who hold Australian practising certificates and specialise in business law. None of them are New Zealand lawyers or hold a New Zealand practising certificate.

Sprintlaw NZ Limited is a legal consultancy, not a law firm, and is not regulated by the New Zealand Law Society. We don't act in court or tribunal matters, conveyancing (including leases and business sales) or other reserved areas of work. Communications with Sprintlaw are unlikely to be protected by legal professional privilege. We still keep everything confidential under our engagement letter.