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Successful Sale – M/Y Nyla
Successful Sale – M/Y Nyla

Dawson & Associates is happy to have assisted Sam Watts of 37South in the successful sale of the vessel M/Y Nyla, acting as escrow agents.

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Vessel sale & purchaseNick IppolitoSeptember 3, 2026
Nelson athlete prepares for IVF Waka Ama World Sprints in Singapore
Nelson athlete prepares for IVF Waka Ama World Sprints in Singapore

Dawson & Associates has been sponsoring Waka Ama athlete Callum Sebualala-O'Leary in his quest to represent Aotearoa/New Zealand at the IVF Waka Ama World Sprint Championships, currently underway in Singapore. We asked Callum for an update on his journey to the World Championship and what he hopes to achieve.

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GeneralNick IppolitoAugust 19, 2026
Changes to Health and Safety at Work Act incoming – managing critical risk
Changes to Health and Safety at Work Act incoming – managing critical risk

The Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act which comes into force in April 2027 has the purpose of providing greater clarity to New Zealand’s health and safety framework, but will also shift the focus of health and safety rather than relax compliance measures for PCBUs.

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Marine regulation, Health & safetyNick IppolitoAugust 12, 2026
Contract Templates Collaboration
Contract Templates Collaboration

Dawson & Associates has collaborated with the New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishers to develop a suite of contract templates for the commercial fishing industry, to be a resource for Federation members.

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Commercial fishingNick IppolitoJuly 28, 2026
Successful Sale – M/Y Aroha
Successful Sale – M/Y Aroha

Dawson & Associates is pleased to have assisted with the sale of the M/Y Aroha - a complicated transaction with a vigorous negotiating process.

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Vessel sale & purchaseNick IppolitoJuly 21, 2026
Buying or Selling? Check the Contract
Buying or Selling? Check the Contract

Peter Dawson reflects on some of the sale and purchase contracts he sees each month and his surprise at how skinny the contracts are, given the sums and complexities involved in some of these transactions.

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Vessel sale & purchaseNick IppolitoJuly 1, 2026
Change is upon us – redefining contractor status to the New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishers
Change is upon us – redefining contractor status to the New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishers

Last week Troy Stade presented to delegates at the New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishers conference in Wellington about recent changes to employment law as it relates to contractor status.

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Commercial fishingNick IppolitoJune 18, 2026
Sale and Purchase of Vessels - Where Transactions Come Unstuck
Sale and Purchase of Vessels - Where Transactions Come Unstuck

Peter Dawson, director at Dawson & Associates, recently presented to delegates at the New Zealand Maritime Transport Association Conference, diving into vessel sale and purchase agreements and the common areas of difficulty for parties to the transaction.

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Vessel sale & purchaseNick IppolitoJune 16, 2026
Health and Safety impressions at the Maritime Transport Association Conference
Health and Safety impressions at the Maritime Transport Association Conference

Troy Stade, Associate at Dawson & Associates recently provided a legal update at this year’s New Zealand Maritime Transport Association Conference in Wellington, focusing on developments in the application of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA).

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Health & safetyNick IppolitoJune 11, 2026
Change in Customs Approval Process for Sale of Temporarily Imported Small Craft (NZCS 275)
Change in Customs Approval Process for Sale of Temporarily Imported Small Craft (NZCS 275)

New Zealand Customs has formalised the existing requirement for customs approval to be obtained before marketing or selling a small vessel when it is in New Zealand on a TIE, with the introduction of a new form.

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Vessel sale & purchase, Marine regulationNick IppolitoJune 10, 2026
Gibson v Maritime New Zealand [2026] NZHC 813 – Officer Due Diligence Confirmed
Gibson v Maritime New Zealand [2026] NZHC 813 – Officer Due Diligence Confirmed

The High Court has dismissed the appeal of the former CEO of Ports of Auckland, upholding both conviction and sentence for failing, as an officer, to exercise due diligence under s 44 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

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Marine regulationNick IppolitoMay 6, 2026
Cable Protection Zones and Marine Protected Areas
Cable Protection Zones and Marine Protected Areas

Recreational boaters regularly stray into marine restricted areas, for which the penalties can be harsh. New high protection areas in the Gulf will complicate matters. Read Peter Dawson’s article, published in the Boating NZ magazine December 2025 issue.

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Marine regulationNick IppolitoMarch 10, 2026
 Chatham Islands service
Chatham Islands service

The New Zealand Ministry of Transport (MOT) has signed a contract with 44 South Shipping Limited Partnership to build a new vessel in China that will serve the Chatham Islands for at least 20 years, replacing the aging Southern Tiare.

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Vessel operationsNick IppolitoMarch 5, 2026
Recreational Water Activities – How to ensure safety on the Water
Recreational Water Activities – How to ensure safety on the Water

Recreational boating and water activities are popular in New Zealand and it is increasingly common to see headlines of recreational users involved in accidents and incidents, often because users are unaware of, or fail to follow, maritime rules and local harbour bylaws.

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Marine regulationNick IppolitoFebruary 23, 2026
Dawson & Associates sponsoring Waka Ama athlete Callum Sebualala-O'Leary
Dawson & Associates sponsoring Waka Ama athlete Callum Sebualala-O'Leary

Dawson & Associates is sponsoring Waka Ama athlete Callum Sebualala-O'Leary in his quest to represent Aotearoa/New Zealand at the World Sprint Championships in Singapore in August 2026.

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GeneralNick IppolitoFebruary 9, 2026
TTR Iron Sands Fast Track Application declined
TTR Iron Sands Fast Track Application declined

The Fast Track expert panel has issued a draft decision proposing to decline Trans Tasman Resources’ application to mine iron rich sands from the seabed in the South Taranaki Bight under the Fast Track Approvals Act 2024.

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Marine regulation, Marine environmentNick IppolitoFebruary 9, 2026
Yacht GST in New Zealand: A guide to NZ Rules, Rates and Compliance
Yacht GST in New Zealand: A guide to NZ Rules, Rates and Compliance

When purchasing or chartering a superyacht in New Zealand, Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a critical factor that is sometimes underestimated. Our article explains some of the complexities.

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Vessel sale & purchaseNick IppolitoFebruary 3, 2026
Dawson & Associates, Ocean Independence and Sunreef Yachts
Dawson & Associates, Ocean Independence and Sunreef Yachts

Late last year our associate, Troy Stade, attended an event hosted by Ocean Independence and Rolls-Royce Auckland to celebrate Ocean Independence’s strategic partnership with Sunreef Yachts.

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Vessel registration, Vessel sale & purchaseNick IppolitoJanuary 15, 2026
New Zealand Shipping Coastal Resilience and s198 Flag Waivers
New Zealand Shipping Coastal Resilience and s198 Flag Waivers

New Zealand’s fragile coastal shipping industry has a dwindling number of aging and unreliable vessels on our coast, and more leaving service each year. The Government’s Coastal Resilience Fund has been put together to address this crisis, but a valuable solution already exists within our legislation.

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Marine regulationNick IppolitoDecember 22, 2025
Congratulations to Petrina Sheldon – Admission to the Bar
Congratulations to Petrina Sheldon – Admission to the Bar

Recently our newest team member, Petrina Sheldon, was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.

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GeneralNick IppolitoDecember 22, 2025
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