Tuesday, 24 March 2026
Early Bird Discount ends 19 Dec 2025
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the scope and practical impact of the upcoming Companies Act reforms
- Identify changes in insolvency processes and creditor/employee rights under the new framework
Modernisation of Companies Act 1993 & Insolvency Law Updates including:
- Act overhaul after 30+ years: Government introducing phased reforms to modernise, simplify, and digitise company law
- Director transparency: unique Director ID numbers to track corporate history and combat phoenix companies; option to replace residential address with service address for privacy
- NZBN integration: increased uptake of New Zealand Business Number to streamline transactions and reduce fraud
- Corporate processes simplified: flexible document formats, remote meeting options, and streamlined unanimous shareholder consent
- Insolvency reforms:
- Standardised clawback period to 4 years for related-party transactions
- Expanded employee preferences (e.g., long service leave).
- Requirement to honor 50% of gift vouchers in certain insolvency scenarios
Presented by James Cochrane, Partner, Lane Neave
Chair
Philip Shackleton, Partner, Meredith Connell
Description
Attend and earn 1 CPD hour
* This interactive online recording includes questions and quizzes requiring critical thinking about the topics, so you have no annual limits to the number of points/hours you can claim with this format of learning. Please verify with your CPD rules
Presenters
Philip Shackleton, Partner, Meredith ConnellPhil is a lead partner in MC’s Insolvency, Recoveries and Enforcement Group and one of New Zealand’s most experienced banking, finance and insolvency litigators. He and his team act for creditors, private insolvency practitioners and the public sector, including the Official Assignee. For 21 years, Phil has had lead roles in some of New Zealand’s most important insolvency cases, including the precedent-setting Debut Homes litigation, the first time the Supreme Court considered the issue of director’s duties. Phil's particular expertise includes receiverships, liquidations, security enforcement, priority disputes, shareholder disputes, banking litigation and debt recovery.
James Cochrane, Partner, Lane Neave
James is a dispute resolution and litigation partner at Lane Neave in Auckland, specializing in banking, finance, insolvency, company law, and insurance. He has expertise in cryptocurrency, web3 technology, and digital assets, advising on tax, asset structuring, gaming, insolvency and regulatory issues. He provides commercial advice to a diverse range of clients, from individuals and startups to multinational corporations In addition to insolvency practitioners, James acts for a number of significant credit management clients, including being a leading provider of debt recovery litigation services to an Australasian non-bank B2B lender, an ASX listed fintech / receivables management group, various building products suppliers including one listed on the ASX, and a multinational financial services provider in the automotive industry which is also listed on the ASX. With a First Class Honours LLM from the University of Auckland, he is active in BlockchainNZ, RITANZ, and NZICM.. James has been noted as a “Recommended Lawyer” in Dispute Resolution for 2024 and for 2025 by Legal 500. He was recognised for Arbitration and Mediation in the latest edition for 2025 of the Best Lawyers in New Zealand – a legal guide that is based purely on peer review. In 2023 he was named by NZ Lawyer as a “changemaker” in its 2023 Most Influential Lawyers rankings. He is ranked by Doyles as a Leading Insolvency & Restructuring Lawyer – New Zealand, 2022.
