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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Recently our newest team member, Petrina Sheldon, was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.
Vessel sale and purchase agreements involve a significant amount of documentation, and it's easy to overlook when additional requirements might come into play.
New Zealand Customs has recently revised their approach to granting permission for small craft to be marketed for sale while under a TIE, and vessel owners need to be aware of this approach so that they do not breach the conditions.
In a departure from his usual legal writing, Troy has had a travel writing article (with a maritime flavour) published in the latest edition of the Professional Skipper magazine.
The medical and training ship YWAM PNG has just been refloated after a significant refit at Austal’s Philippines yard.
Dawson & Associates is pleased to have assisted with the successful vessel sale and purchase transaction of the Southern Cross.
Dawson & Associates successfully concluded the purchase of the Ocean Freja, for a New Zealand commercial fishing client - a transaction with a unique set of challenges and nuances.
Dawson and Associates were privileged to act to for the Buyer of the SY Sweet Caroline, now renamed Silent World.
The 2025 Seafood New Zealand conference was held in Nelson earlier this month. The Dawson & Associates team enjoyed the opportunity to connect with industry colleagues, meet new people and hear about new and exciting ideas and initiatives in the industry.
Customs have recently announced a rule change for visiting yachts to New Zealand and the way that the Temporary Import Entry (‘TIE’) scheme works, with implications for the New Zealand marine industry, and situations where a foreign owned vessel is being sold to a foreign buyer.
Our associate, Troy Stade, has recently been to visit Sunreef Yachts in Poland, where a client is currently having a vessel built.
Dawson & Associates are pleased to have recently concluded the sale of the Sunreef 70 sailing catamaran Ginette to a foreign buyer.
NZ Customs is working through submissions received on their proposed rule changes for visiting yachts to New Zealand, and has updated its website with guidance on the sale of temporarily imported small craft in New Zealand.
Despite international controversy, bottom trawling in New Zealand is a sustainable and effective way of harvesting healthy wild-caught animal protein. The new video produced by the NZ Federation of Commercial Fishermen helps provide a new perspective.
After a nearly yearlong investigation into the grounding of the Interislander ferry Aratere north of Picton in June 2024, Maritime New Zealand has announced the filing of two charges against KiwiRail under the Health and Safety at Work Act. The prosecution highlights a number of crucial points applicable to any commercial vessel operator.
New Zealand’s commercial workboat sector, associated industries, regulators, and policymakers recently gathered at the NZMTA conference to meet and talk about issues and success stories from industry, and to look to the year ahead. Dawson & Associates presented on the topic of vessel build contracts.
Vessel sale and purchase agreements can be highly complicated. An often overlooked part of the process is around anti money laundering (AML) requirements, which presents an area of not-insignificant risk for clients and agents alike.
The Tourist Refund Scheme offers international travellers leaving Australia to claim a GST refund on Australian purchase goods taken out of the country, and it is possible for private yacht owners to access the programme to take advantage of the GST refund.
New Zealand Customs’ recent change of position on the sale of vessels in New Zealand under TIE (Temporary Import Entry) could have potentially significant impacts for yacht owners wanting to bring their vessels into New Zealand, including for marketing and sale purposes.
The recent MLAANZ conference in Auckland had a range of speakers with notable subjects that provided an exciting opportunity to deepen understanding of developments in maritime law.
We are pleased to welcome Petrina Sheldon, the newest member of the Dawson & Associates team. Petrina is a recent law graduate and joins us as a Legal Assistant, but she is by no means new to the maritime industry. Read more
Building a bespoke vessel is a complex process. Peter Dawson revisits an article he wrote (which was published in Pro Skipper magazine in 2019) and adds fresh insights.