Norling Law

Norling Law We resolve commercial disputes and get business owners paid promptly!

We hear this often from new clients: 'I wasn't sure if my situation was serious enough to call a lawyer.'It almost alway...
10/06/2026

We hear this often from new clients: 'I wasn't sure if my situation was serious enough to call a lawyer.'

It almost always is.

Not because every situation ends in litigation, most don't. But because knowing where you stand early gives you control over the outcome. It means you're making decisions from a position of clarity rather than anxiety.

At Norling Law, our initial consultations are designed to do one thing: give you an honest picture of your position.

Whether you're a business owner facing a creditor, a director worried about personal liability, a shareholder who feels pushed out, or a contractor who hasn't been paid, you don't need to walk in with a fully formed plan. You just need to show up.

We'll help you understand what the law says, what your options are, and what we'd recommend. From there, the decision is always yours.

If something has been sitting at the back of your mind, a dispute you've been managing, a debt that isn't resolving, a business relationship that's broken down, now is a good time to have that conversation.

We're here when you're ready.

Book a consultation:
https://norlinglaw.co.nz/book-a-consultation/

Norling Law is a specialist Litigation and Dispute Resolution Law firm with a core focus on Insolvency and Restructuring.

08/06/2026

Every time a major corporate collapse makes the news, the focus tends to be on the big numbers, the creditors owed millions, the employees left behind, the executives facing scrutiny.

What gets less attention is the ripple effect on small and medium businesses.

Because behind every large insolvency, there's usually a trail of smaller businesses who are owed money, suppliers, subcontractors, service providers, who find themselves at the back of the queue.

Here's what small business owners often don't know:

→ Unsecured creditors, which most trade creditors are, typically recover very little in a liquidation. Secured creditors get paid first.
→ If you've been supplying goods or services without a properly documented credit agreement or retention of title clause, your recovery prospects are significantly lower.
→ There are actions you can take before a debtor collapses, including issuing a statutory demand, that can put pressure on a debtor and potentially trigger restructuring before it reaches liquidation.
→ Timing matters enormously. Proactive creditors who move early almost always fare better than those who wait.

The current economic environment means more collapses are likely, not fewer. Now is the time to review how you're managing credit risk in your business.

Norling Law advises creditors and businesses on insolvency, debt recovery, and commercial disputes.

Get in touch with our team.
https://norlinglaw.co.nz/book-a-consultation/

Norling Law is a specialist Litigation and Dispute Resolution Law firm with a core focus on Insolvency and Restructuring.

If you're a contractor or subcontractor and you're waiting on payment, you're not alone.Payment disputes are the most co...
01/06/2026

If you're a contractor or subcontractor and you're waiting on payment, you're not alone.

Payment disputes are the most common legal issue in the construction industry, and the current economic environment, rising material costs, tighter margins, and high rates of insolvency, is making them more frequent and more serious.

Here's what you need to know:

→ Security of payment legislation exists to protect you. New Zealand's Construction Contracts Act gives contractors and subcontractors the right to claim progress payments and access fast-track adjudication if payment is disputed or withheld.
→ The process moves quickly, and so must you. Payment claims need to be served correctly, and response timeframes are strict. Missing a deadline can seriously compromise your position.
→ Adjudication is faster and cheaper than litigation. In most cases, adjudication can resolve a dispute in weeks rather than months, and if the adjudicator finds in your favour, the decision is enforceable.
→ Don't accept silence as an answer. If a payment schedule hasn't been issued in response to your claim, you may have additional rights.

Construction payment law is complex and time-sensitive. If you're in a dispute or haven't received payment you're owed, reach out to Norling Law today.

Book a consultation:
https://norlinglaw.co.nz/book-a-consultation/

Norling Law is a specialist Litigation and Dispute Resolution Law firm with a core focus on Insolvency and Restructuring.

30/05/2026

If you've been managing IRD debt quietly and hoping for flexibility, it's time to take it seriously.

The Inland Revenue has significantly ramped up its recovery activity following years of pandemic-era leniency. Directors are now receiving formal recovery notices at a higher rate, and IRD has reduced its appetite for informal repayment arrangements.

What this means practically:

→ Unpaid GST, PAYE, and KiwiSaver liabilities are actively being pursued
→ Directors can be made personally liable for company tax debts in certain circumstances
→ Waiting to respond reduces your options significantly
→ Once formal enforcement action begins, the window to act closes fast

The good news is that if you act before things escalate, there are pathways available, including payment arrangements, voluntary administration, and creditor compromise.

But those pathways narrow the longer you wait.

Norling Law works with business owners and directors to understand their exposure and explore their options. If IRD debt is a concern for your business, reach out to our team.

Book a consultation:
https://norlinglaw.co.nz/book-a-consultation/

Norling Law is a specialist Litigation and Dispute Resolution Law firm with a core focus on Insolvency and Restructuring.

29/05/2026

Starting a business with a partner is exciting. But what happens when the relationship breaks down?

Shareholder disputes are on the rise across Australia and New Zealand, and in most cases we see, the same issue sits at the root of it: the shareholders' agreement either didn't exist, or didn't cover what it needed to.

A robust shareholders' agreement should address:

→ Each shareholder's roles and responsibilities
→ How decisions get made (and what happens when there's a deadlock)
→ How shares are valued and transferred if someone wants to exit
→ What happens if a shareholder dies, becomes incapacitated, or is no longer contributing
→ Dividend and profit distribution expectations
→ Dispute resolution mechanisms, before things escalate to court

The time to put this in place is before a dispute arises, not after.

If you're in a business partnership and don't have a current, comprehensive shareholders' agreement in place, or if you haven't revisited yours recently, it's worth a conversation.

Norling Law advises on shareholder agreements and dispute resolution. Reach out to our team to find out where you stand.

Norling Law is a specialist Litigation and Dispute Resolution Law firm with a core focus on Insolvency and Restructuring.

$558,000 in IRD debt. Negotiated away. While the number itself is striking, the more important story is how it happened....
27/05/2026

$558,000 in IRD debt. Negotiated away. While the number itself is striking, the more important story is how it happened.

IRD debt has a way of feeling inescapable. The Inland Revenue has significant collection powers, and for many business owners and directors facing tax debt, the assumption is that there's no room to negotiate, you either pay it, or face the consequences.

That's not always true.

In the right circumstances, and with the right legal strategy, it is possible to negotiate a resolution on IRD debt that significantly reduces what's owed. This might involve a creditor compromise, a structured arrangement, or another formal mechanism that the IRD is willing to consider when presented properly.

The key factors are typically: acting before things escalate to enforcement, understanding what options are available under the law, and having experienced representation when engaging with the IRD.

For the client in this case, the outcome was the elimination of $558k in tax debt, a result that changed what was possible for their business going forward.

If you're dealing with IRD debt and aren't sure what your options are, don't assume you're out of options. Get advice first.

Book a consultation:
https://norlinglaw.co.nz/book-a-consultation/

Norling Law is a specialist Litigation and Dispute Resolution Law firm with a core focus on Insolvency and Restructuring.

Most business owners know that missing a GST payment is a problem.What most don't realise is how fast that problem compo...
25/05/2026

Most business owners know that missing a GST payment is a problem.

What most don't realise is how fast that problem compounds.

According to the Moneyhub Tax Debt Guide for Business Owners, published in partnership with Norling Law, a $20,000 missed GST payment can grow to over $23,000 within months, once IRD penalties and Use-of-Money Interest are applied.

Here is why GST and PAYE debt is treated particularly seriously:

→ GST is money collected from your customers on behalf of the government. It does not belong to your business.
→ PAYE is deducted from your employees' wages and held in trust for IRD. Same principle.
→ Using either of these funds to cover cashflow — even temporarily — is treated more severely than ordinary income tax debt.
→ Directors can be held personally liable for unpaid GST and PAYE in certain circumstances.

The most common mistake? Treating these as just another bill to catch up on later.

They are not. IRD penalties compound daily. The balance grows while you wait.

The single most important step is early engagement. File your returns on time, even if you cannot afford to pay. That alone limits escalation.

If you are already behind, options exist. But they narrow the longer you wait.

We co-authored the definitive New Zealand guide to tax debt with Moneyhub. Read it in full HERE:
https://www.moneyhub.co.nz/tax-debt.html

Norling Law is a specialist Litigation and Dispute Resolution Law firm with a core focus on Insolvency and Restructuring.

22/05/2026

In over a decade of handling commercial disputes, one pattern comes up more than any other.

People wait.

They wait to see if the situation resolves itself. They wait because they're not sure they have a strong enough case. They wait because they're worried about the cost. They wait because they don't want to 'make it a big deal.'

And by the time they do come to us, options that were available six months ago are no longer on the table.

Here's the reality of commercial and insolvency law: the law rewards those who act promptly. Limitation periods exist. Evidence becomes harder to obtain over time. Debtors dissipate assets. Deadlines pass. Leverage that existed early in a dispute disappears.

You don't need to have made up your mind about what to do. You don't need to be certain you want to litigate. You just need to understand what your options are, and the only way to do that is to ask.

An early conversation costs you very little. Waiting can cost you everything.

If you're dealing with a commercial dispute, an insolvency issue, or a situation that's been quietly stressing you out, reach out to Norling Law. We'll give you a clear picture of where you stand.

Norling Law is a specialist Litigation and Dispute Resolution Law firm with a core focus on Insolvency and Restructuring.

21/05/2026

The numbers are hard to ignore.

Corporate insolvencies have risen sharply across New Zealand and Australia, and the construction and hospitality sectors continue to bear the brunt, though the pressure is spreading across industries as interest rates, IRD recovery action, and softening consumer demand converge.

For business owners and directors, this environment raises real questions:

→ If you're a director: Are you across your duties under the Companies Act? Insolvent trading, continuing to operate when you know, or should know, the company can't pay its debts, carries serious personal liability.

→ If you're a creditor: Are the businesses you're extending trade credit to still solvent? Rising insolvency rates mean the risk profile of your debtor book may have changed significantly.

→ If you're an employee or contractor: Understanding the protections available to you is worth doing before, not after, an employer enters administration.

We're not sharing these numbers to cause alarm. We're sharing them because preparation and awareness are what give people options when things go wrong.

If you have questions about your position, as a director, creditor, or business owner, Norling Law is here to help.

Book a consultation:
https://norlinglaw.co.nz/book-a-consultation/

Norling Law is a specialist Litigation and Dispute Resolution Law firm with a core focus on Insolvency and Restructuring.

In our experience, construction disputes rarely come out of nowhere.They almost always trace back to something that was ...
18/05/2026

In our experience, construction disputes rarely come out of nowhere.

They almost always trace back to something that was vague, missing, or misunderstood in the original contract.

The clauses we see cause the most damage:

→ Variation clauses: When changes to scope aren't properly documented and approved in writing, disputes over 'who agreed to what' become almost impossible to resolve cleanly.
→ Extension of time provisions: Projects rarely run to schedule. If your contract doesn't clearly define how time extensions are requested, assessed, and granted, you're exposed to claims for liquidated damages on delays that weren't your fault.
→ Payment terms and adjudication rights: Security of payment legislation is designed to protect contractors and subcontractors. But you need to understand how to use it, and the time limits involved are strict.
→ Termination clauses: Many contracts include termination-for-convenience clauses that can leave one party with little recourse if the other decides to walk away.

Getting a construction contract reviewed before you sign is far cheaper than resolving a dispute after work has started.

If you're a contractor, developer, or subcontractor facing a payment or scope dispute, Norling Law can help you understand your options.

Book a consultation:
https://norlinglaw.co.nz/book-a-consultation/

Norling Law is a specialist Litigation and Dispute Resolution Law firm with a core focus on Insolvency and Restructuring.

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Level 1/55 Corinthian Drive
Albany
0632

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