In March 2025, the Financial Intelligence Unit released the latest National Risk Assessment – the first in five years – making it an important and exciting development for understanding New Zealand’s money laundering and terrorism financing risks. The assessment highlights the significant risks real estate transactions pose to the financial system. Moreover, from 1st June 2025, major new obligations took effect for property law firms: every new customer must now be risk-rated, the assessment must be recorded, and risk ratings must be reviewed on an ongoing basis. This marks a clear signal that AML supervisors are placing stronger emphasis on a risk-based approach to compliance.
Tuesday, 11 November 2025
Description
Attend and earn 1 CPD hour
Learning Objective:
- Understand the new customer risk rating requirements and best-practice AML compliance measures for conveyancers, and apply practical steps to meet regulatory expectations and mitigate criminal risk in property transactions
1.00pm to 2.00pm AML Risks in Your Property Transactions
This session will focus on the key money laundering risks facing the property law sector and provide practical guidance on:
- Understanding the findings of the latest National Risk Assessment (relevant to real estate transactions and property law)
- Meeting the new customer risk rating requirements and applying effective methodologies
- How to risk rate new and existing customers in practice
- Integrating customer risk ratings into your firm’s anti-money laundering compliance program
Presented by Giulia Dondoli, AML Specialist, Total AML
Presenters
Dr Giulia Dondoli, AML Specialist, Total AMLDr Giulia Dondoli is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) with over six years of experience in AML/CFT compliance and consulting. Giulia is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Total AML and has audited and helped over 200 reporting entities in New Zealand and Australia. After completing a PhD in Law at the University of Waikato, Giulia joined the AML/CFT compliance team of one of the top law firms in New Zealand, as an analyst. Giulia then became a senior consultant in a leading AML/CFT consulting firm.
This seminar is part of a series
Avoiding Risk: Property Law Series Over Lunch
Is your property law practice ready for all of the compliance risks and requirements? From climate-driven insurance claims to compliance traps under the Overseas Investment rules, Unit Titles amendments and the Property Relationships Act, and now the June 2025 AML customer risk rating reforms, every transaction demands sharper compliance. In just three lunchtime sessions, leading specialists will give you the practical tools, checklists and frameworks to manage and avoid disputes, meet regulatory obligations and strengthen your client advice, so your practice is ready for 2026. Avoiding Risk Ready!
Description
Attend the full series and earn 3 CPD hours
If you register for the full series as a live online product after the date of an individual session, you will be sent the recording for the sessions that have passed. Alternatively, you can register for individual sessions by following the links below.
View series listing
