Blackwood Montagna

08/07/2026

Found the one? Before you sign on your first home, here are the three things worth getting right. Quick watch, could save you a real headache.
Buying in Franklin or Auckland? We’d love to help.

More on the blog: https://bmlegal.co.nz/things-first-home-buyers-in-new-zealand-often-miss/

05/07/2026

We could be a name on a tower in the city. We’d rather be the firm you can actually call in, in the town where you live.

Blackwood Montagna is based in Pukekohe, working with the families and businesses of Franklin and the wider Auckland south. The same people, year after year, who know the area and the people in it.

Local matters. When the advice is about your home, your business or your family, it helps to be talking to someone who’s part of the same community.

Find out more about us at https://bmlegal.co.nz/

01/07/2026

Contractor, or employee? Since February there’s a clearer test for telling them apart - and getting it wrong can be costly. Tara Martin runs through it in under a minute.

If you have questions about your own arrangements, get in touch.

More on the blog: https://bmlegal.co.nz/contractor-or-employee-key-differences-and-legal-implications/

27/06/2026

The rules on contractor status changed this year, and it matters for anyone who hires. Swipe through for the five-part gateway test now built into New Zealand law, then check your own arrangements against it.

Not sure where your contractors sit? That’s the conversation to have before a problem arises.

Full article: bmlegal.co.nz/contractor-or-employee-key-differences-and-legal-implications

25/06/2026

Plenty of New Zealand businesses have someone on the books as a contractor who, in the eyes of the law, looks a lot like an employee.

Until this year, that line was usually drawn after the fact, often in front of the Employment Relations Authority - and often expensively.

That changed on 21 February 2026. A new gateway test now sets out clear criteria for when a worker is genuinely a contractor. Meet all of them and the arrangement holds. Miss one and the older common law test still applies, weighing up control, integration and the real economic reality of the relationship.

The label on the contract was never the deciding factor. It still isn't. What matters is how the working relationship actually runs, day to day.

If you engage contractors, now is the time to check your agreements against the new test before a dispute does it for you.

Learn more over on our blog: https://bmlegal.co.nz/contractor-or-employee-key-differences-and-legal-implications/

12/06/2026

Banks ask for them. Landlords require them. Suppliers put them in credit applications. Most people sign.

But a personal guarantee is one of the most underestimated legal risks in New Zealand business.

Read our article to understand what you're actually committing to. → https://bmlegal.co.nz/personal-guarantees-in-new-zealand-what-business-owners-are-really-signing-up-for/

09/06/2026

Banks. Landlords. Suppliers. They all ask for personal guarantees. Most business owners sign them without a second thought.

Here's what you're actually committing to - and what to do before you pick up the pen. 👇

Full article: https://bmlegal.co.nz/personal-guarantees-in-new-zealand-what-business-owners-are-really-signing-up-for/

05/06/2026

Some things matter beyond the office.

Pukekohe is where we live, where we work, and where we show up on a Saturday. Supporting local rugby is part of that. The same families we help navigate life's big legal moments are the ones on the sideline, in the clubrooms, and out on the field.

Proud to be part of this community. 🏉

Lawyers Pukekohe - Blackwood Montagna - A Law firm based in Pukekohe and serving the Franklin community and the wider Auckland region.

01/06/2026

A personal guarantee is not a formality. It's a binding commitment that can follow you long after the business relationship ends.

Peter Montagna has seen what happens when business owners sign without fully understanding the exposure they're taking on. His advice is simple: read it, question it, and get legal advice before you sign.

Read the full article: https://bmlegal.co.nz/personal-guarantees-in-new-zealand-what-business-owners-are-really-signing-up-for/

Personal guarantees are a routine part of doing business in New Zealand. Banks require them for lending. Landlords often require them for commercial leases.

31/05/2026

Happy King’s Birthday from all of us at Blackwood Montagna. 👑

We hope you get to slow down and enjoy the long weekend with the people who matter most. Whether you’re spending it resting, recharging, or planning your next move, we’re proud to be the firm in your corner — protecting what you’ve built and powering what comes next.

Wishing our clients and the wider Pukekohe and Franklin community a safe and restful holiday.

📍 Blackwood Montagna | Pukekohe
📞 09 283 8432