Up to 100,000 trusts at risk, What happens if Silver Fern deal fails? SOE land sales challengeable

In NBR Print today, tens of thousands of New Zealand trusts are potentially affected by a Supreme Court decision, which entitled the plaintiff to half the substantial assets in trusts settled by her ex-husband. Lady Deborah Chambers, QC, tells Nick Grant the “Clayton v Clayton” case has “redrawn the landscape” – at least when there’s conflict at the end of a marriage between relationship property and trust property.

Nerves were tightening this week as the deadline loomed to conclude a $261 million joint venture deal between Silver Fern Farms and Shanghai Maling. And as Tim Hunter reports, if it does not happen, Silver Fern’s bankers – Westpac, Rabobank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and HSBC – have the right to review their facilities, leaving the co-op at the mercy of its lenders.

Global markets’ volatility has pushed the yields on government bonds down all over the world and New Zealand is no exception. However, despite it being the cheapest time in almost a decade to borrow, the government is heading in the opposite direction to pay down debt ahead of an election year spendup. Jason Walls reports.

Syft was a high-tech basket case when Doug Hastie became chief executive four year’s ago. Today he reckons Syft is going to be a billion dollar company in a short period of time. And somewhat unfashionably for the tech sector, Syft is focusing on profitable growth. Chris Keall reports.

The future of retirement is changing and employers and the retirement industry must adapt to keep up. Calida Smylie looks at how the retirement village sector also needs to change.

Future state-owned enterprise land sales could come under “greater attack” after a Supreme Court ruling left them more open to challenge, reports Hamish McNicol. And Auckland District Law Society vice president Joanna Pidgeon says this “important” decision changes the “generally accepted” approach that these are political decisions not subject to review.

Don’t miss: NBR Special Report: Spotlight on Taranaki 

All this and more in today's National Business Review Print edition. Out now.

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