On 1 October 2021, the long anticipated Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance (Lender Inquiries into Suitability and Affordability) Amendment Regulations 2020 ("Regulations") came into effect after being passed into law by the Government in November last year. The changes are well-intentioned, with the purpose being to tackle high-cost consumer loans and minimise borrower hardship that had been well documented in recent Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment inquiries into mobile trading. However, like all regulation, there is a trade-off, and these highly prescribed regulations place a significant compliance burden on responsible lenders, particularly small and medium enterprises.

Mike Pero was the sole director of MPRE Limited and its wholly owned subsidiary MP Real Estate Limited (the MPRE Companies), companies described in the decision as a joint venture between a company ultimately owned by Mike Pero that held a 50% stake and MP Mortgages Limited which held the other 50% stake.

A recent Court of Appeal decision (Autumn Tree(1)) makes it clear that where a company enters a contract and only one director signs it:

Intellectual Property is an asset that has the potential to be more valuable to your business than tangible business assets and should be protected as much as possible. A famous trade mark or a market leading patent may be of far greater value to a company than its physical assets.

Often in commercial contracts, parties agree that they will use their "best endeavours", their "reasonable endeavours" or their "all reasonable endeavours" to perform certain actions or to achieve a certain outcome. But what do these terms mean in reality? While there are no set definitions and much is dependent on the particular circumstances, we are able to make some practical comments about the requirements of each of these terms so you have a clear idea of what you are agreeing to.

The Fair Trading Amendment Act 2021 - The Fair Trading Amendment Act 2021 ("Amendment Act") was enacted on 16 August 2021. It introduces changes to the Fair Trading Act 1986 ("Act"), some of which have come into effect and others which will come into effect on 16 August 2022.