Article & Blog Content Service
I provide articles on New Zealand legal and accounting matters currently affecting our business interests and personal lives. The articles can be purchased as white-label content to populate your website, blog, newsletter and client updates.
Article & Blog Content Service
I provide articles on New Zealand legal and accounting matters currently affecting our business interests and personal lives. The articles can be purchased as white-label content to populate your website, blog, newsletter and client updates.
Why provide news and information?
- Positions your business as a valuable and dependable source of current news and reminders of key dates/deadlines. This adds value for current clients and a touchpoint for engagement with potential clients.
- Maintains top of mind awareness of your services by providing a means of staying in touch with clients throughout the year.
- Increases traffic to your website through regularly updated and searchable content.
Why provide news and information?
- Positions your business as a valuable and dependable source of current news and reminders of key dates/deadlines, adding value to the experience of current clients and a touchpoint for engagement with potential clients.
- Maintains top of mind awareness of your services by providing a means of staying in touch with clients throughout the year.
- Increases traffic to your website through regularly updated and searchable content.
As intimated above, providing clients with timely and useful information via a news/blog page or periodic newsletter can be a strategic part of your investment in client relations.
Service overview
Changes for 2026
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2025 Newsletters
Legal Articles
2026 Articles
Provides an outline of the recently enacted Employment Leave Act, which will replace the Holidays Act 2003 and its leave entitlement model with what is considered to be a simpler, more workable leave system.
Health and Safety at Work Reform
Key changes in the recently enacted Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act, aimed at reforming our health and safety regime, are outlined in this article. Key points include:The prioritising of critical risk and a specific carve out for small low-risk businesses.
- Clarification of areas of confusion, including overlapping regulations and duties to recreational users.
- Strengthening approved codes of practice and proposed new safe harbours.
- The prioritisation of regulators functions.
The Modern Slavery Bill, which has cross party support, would require businesses deemed ‘reporting entities’ (revenue > $100M) operating in New Zealand to annually report on actions taken to assess, prevent and mitigate the risk of modern slavery occurring in their supply chain. Although not directly applying to smaller businesses, the information requirements for reporting entities is expected to trickle down to those in their supply chains.
Fair trading amendments would target misleading practices (In Progress)
Proposed changes to the Fair Trading Act that would target misleading business practices with stronger deterrents and enable faster and more efficient enforcement, something the Commerce Commission has long called for, are outlined in this article.
New Zealand’s Cyber Security Strategy 2026-2030
The strategy, released in February this year, looks to bring together government, industry and community stakeholders to secure our digital domain. This article summarises the four main objectives of the strategy and the immediate actions to be taken to realise these objectives.
‘Fit-for-purpose’ changes to financial markets conduct regulation (In Progress)
The Financial Markets Conduct Amendment Bill, introduced in 2025 to simplify and streamline regulation of financial services, remove unnecessary compliance costs for financial markets participants and improve outcomes for consumers, is currently before Parliament. Key changes proposed in the Bill include:
- Simplifying and clarifying minimum requirements for fair conduct programs.
- Requiring FMA approval before certain changes in control take place to protect consumers’ interests.
- Empowering the FMA to conduct on-site inspections without giving notice.
- Changes to the climate-related disclosure regime to right size it for New Zealand.
This article gives a brief summary of the exemptions now in force, which allows for new single story, stand-alone dwellings of up to 70 square metres to be constructed without needing a building or resource consent; given certain conditions are met.
2025 Legal Newsletter Articles
Legislation to refocus councils – An overview of the Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill aimed at refocusing councils on their core services and help reduce the pressure on rates.
Proposed ban on merchant surcharges (In Progress) – Looks at the Retail Payment System (Ban on Merchant Surcharges) Amendment Bill, which would ban surcharges for all in-store EFTPOS, Visa and Mastercard payments.
Commerce Commission’s refreshed priorities – Summarises the Commissions refreshed priorities, as released in late August, indicating the areas it will be focusing efforts for the 2025/26 period.
Foodstuff’s FRT trial compliant with Privacy Act – looks at findings from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s inquiry into Foodstuff North Island’s 2024 trial of facial recognition technology as a deterrent to retail crime and violence towards staff and customers. The article outlines key aspects of the model employed that ensured it complied with the Privacy Act, as well as improvements needed before being fully rolled out.
Gene technology laws to be modernised (In Progress) – outlines legislation that would replace parts of the HSNO Act that regulate GMOs, with a more enabling regulatory system.
Accounting/Business Advisory Articles
2026 Articles
Employment leave reform set to transform our leave system
Provides an outline of the recently enacted Employment Leave Act, which will replace the Holidays Act 2003 and its leave entitlement model with what is considered to be a simpler, more workable leave system.
Workplace health and safety reform
Key changes in the recently enacted Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act, aimed at reforming our health and safety regime, are outlined in this article. The changes, informed by feedback from the Government’s 2024 public consultation, are intended to reduce complexity, uncertainty and overcompliance in our work health and safety regulatory system.
Modern slavery – In our supply chain?
The Modern Slavery Bill, which has cross party support, would require businesses deemed ‘reporting entities’ (revenue > $100M) operating in New Zealand to annually report on actions taken to assess, prevent and mitigate the risk of modern slavery occurring in their supply chain. Although not directly applying to smaller businesses, the information requirements for reporting entities is expected to trickle down to those in their supply chains.
Deductibility of sponsorship costs – Inland Revenue’s interpretation
Inland Revenue’s recent interpretation statement, ‘Income tax implications of providing sponsorship’, is outlined in this article. It looks at the requirements for sponsorship expenditure to be deductible and circumstances where deductions may be limited or not allowed.
New Zealand’s Cyber Security Strategy 2026-2030
The strategy, released in February this year, looks to bring together government, industry and community stakeholders to secure our digital domain. This article summarises the main key objectives of the strategy and the immediate actions to be taken to realise these objectives.
Changes ahead for financial market participants
The Financial Markets Conduct Amendment Bill, which aims to simplify and streamline regulation of financial services, is currently before Parliament. Proposed changes to remove unnecessary compliance costs for financial markets participants and improve outcomes for consumers are outlined in this article.
Exemptions for small stand-alone dwellings
This article gives a brief summary of the exemptions now in force, which allows for new single story, stand-alone dwellings of up to 70 square metres to be constructed without needing a building or resource consent; given certain conditions are met.
2025 Accountants Newsletter Editions
Don’t forget the risk from within – With the focus often on scammers and phishing attacks, this article is a reminder to keep an eye on internal fraud, giving red flags that may indicate something is not right, and simple checks you can carry out.
Inland Revenue taking tougher stance on debt – As the IRD gets tougher on overdue tax, for those in this situation, acting sooner rather than later to negotiate an instalment arrangement is all the more important. Advice is given on what IRD will be looking for if you are to secure an arrangement.
Taxing the sun – This article looks at proposed legislation introduced in August 2025, which seeks to clarify the tax position for those selling back surplus electricity from solar panels to their power company.
FBT changes proposed – Looks at proposed changes to the FBT regime in the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2025–26, Compliance Simplification, and Remedial Measures) Bill currently before Parliament. Some of the more notable FBT changes have been outlined.
Feedback from the charitable sector – comments on the outcome of the Officials’ Issues Paper titled ‘Taxation and the not-for-profit sector’, and the impact that submissions had on the decision not to proceed with changes to how charities are taxed in New Zealand.
Inland Revenue scrutiny – looks at what to expect and provides insights and practical advice on how to proceed when Inland Revenue notifies you of their intention to audit or investigate your tax affairs.
Investment boost – provides a review of the 2025 Budget’s ‘Investment Boost’ tax incentive, aimed at encouraging capital investment. It has some unexpected applications and applies from 22 May 2025.
Financial Conduct Report 1st Edition – gives highlights from the FMA’s first Financial Conduct Report, of which the primary purpose is to be transparent about the conduct the FMA sees (both good and poor) and the regulatory priorities for addressing that conduct over the coming year.
Charities review – considers Inland Revenue’s issue paper ‘Taxation and the not-for-profit sector’, making comment on some of the principles at stake and charitable operations being scrutinised.
Navigating insurance proceeds and tax – provides guidelines on the tax treatment of insurance proceeds received, whether from a fire, natural disaster or equipment failure claim, so that the appropriate tax treatment is applied.
Tax pooling – outlines a common scenario tax pooling looks to address and explains how it works in practice using a business example.
Trust disclosure review – comments on Inland Revenue’s review of the trust disclosure rules and their recommendations to reduce compliance costs for taxpayers.
When errors are made – advice on dealing with errors made on tax compliance returns, how adjustments are handled by Inland Revenue, and the benefits of voluntary disclosure.
Effective decision making – outlines some of the common elements of effective business decision making needed to navigate change and achieve sustainable growth in today’s business environment.
PAYE and personal grievances – how to ensure payments for personal grievances are handled correctly so they meet the definition of compensation not income, and hence are non-taxable.
When is a motor vehicle subject to FBT? – a brief review of the three broad classifications of motor vehicle under the FBT regime, and how these can be applied.
2025 Accountants Newsletter Examples
The Newsletter editions above provide examples of the 2025 newsletter back-issues that can be purchased.
Purchase Newsletter Back-issue
Download this form to purchase a back issue of the 2025 quarterly Accountants Client newsletter (incl. Nov 2025 – Feb 2026 edition).
To purchase an individual article (2025 – 2026) use the Accounting Articles – Order Form above.
News Service Background
From 2004 to 2018, Mike Artinian managed the unit at the University of Waikato that published the Client Newsletter Service until its discontinuation in late 2018. In 2019, operating as Artinian Consulting, Mike relaunched the service to provide content for both legal and accounting firms. In 2026, in response to evolving news consumption, the quarterly newsletter format was replaced by a more timely, article-based format.