News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

Law for Lunch is going to the Karori Library this Wednesday, 3 April!

Kate Scarlet, a community lawyer and employment advocate at Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley, will be covering:

• Employment Agreements
• Trial periods
• Wages, breaks, leave
• Dispute resolution: Solving problems at work
• Redundancy

This session is a perfect opportunity as an employee to ask your questions and get the information you need for a better understanding of the Employment Law related to sick leave, work breaks, bullying in the work environment or personal grievance and what are the alternative solutions.

And, if you are an employer, you can find out what you need to do to provide safe working environment and follow the right processes in  Employment Agreements.

The seminar will take place this Wednesday, from 12 noon to 1pm, at the Karori Library. All welcome!

For more information, please check our online event calendar

Welcome to the seminar of Law for Lunch at the Kilbirnie Branch Library!
Our speaker this week will be Kahureremoa Aki, Community Lawyer at the Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley.

Kahureremoa Aki is the Rōia Hāpori (Community Lawyer) providing legal services to Māori at Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley. She has helped many families with questions about social security.
Kahu will be focussing on:

• Youth and young parents
• Budgeting and incentives
• Being “work available”
• The DPB and children
• Social obligations
• Drug testing
• Penalties and exemptions

Come along to find out more about the Welfare Reforms and the changes, scheduled to come into effect this July.
Ask your questions about social obligations, dependent children and health issues, beneficiaries who refuse to apply for drug-tested jobs or any concerns you might have related to benefit reforms.

This presentation will take place this Wednesday, from 12 noon to 1pm, at the Ruth Gotlieb Kilbirnie Library.
All welcome!

For more information, please check our online event calendar

With Dora Tuimaseve, Advisor for Senior Services and Derek Leat, Local Services Manager

In this third session of the Law for Lunch series, Dora and Derek draw on their experience on services to seniors to offer us professional advice and useful tips featuring:

• Asset planning
• Superannuation
• Financial entitlements and extra help
• Residential care subsidies
• Super Gold Card
• Living overseas

Dora Tuimaseve works as an Operations Advisor for Senior Services within the Ministry of Social Development and has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the Ministry and its products to share. If you are living alone, receiving Veteran’s Pension, thinking of travelling or living overseas, needing extra help with accommodation costs, residencial care or any other assistance, you will have the opportunity to ask your questions and get answers from the experts.

This mini-seminar will take place this Wednesday at 12 noon, on the Ground Floor of the Central Library. We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about this and future sessions, check our Event Calendar for a full listing of talks in this series.

With Criminal Defense Barrister, Cathie Sheat

Come along to the second session in the current series of Law for Lunch, at the Central Library this Wednesday, 13 March, from 12-1pm, for accurate information and practical advice on

• Fines, infringement notices and the new Online Fines system
• Disputing Fines
• Traffic offences and penalties – careless driving – reckless driving – dangerous driving
• The court process
• Limited Licences

Cathie Sheat has many years of legal experience representing people on traffic offences and other driving charges. You will have the perfect opportunity to ask your questions and get the information you need for a better understanding of traffic offences, penalties and breaches of the Road Code.

This mini-seminar will take place this Wednesday, on the Ground Floor of the Central Library. You are all welcome and we look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about this and future sessions, check our online Event Calendar for a full listing of talks in this series.

Welcome to the first seminar of Law for Lunch!
Our speaker this week will be Jon Duffy, the Head of Trust & Safety at Trade Me.

Jon will talk about the responsibilities of Trade Me’s Trust & Safety team, in regulating the largest online marketplace in New Zealand and the unique challenges they are faced with.

Jon will be focussing on:
• The difference between “buy now” and winning an auction
• What protections to Trade Me consumers have?
• Professional traders and Trade Me
• Resolving problems: The Trade Me complaints process
• Consumer law reform: what it might mean for online trading

Come along to find out more about consumer protection, as well as, consumer law reform and, ask your questions.

This presentation will take place this Wednesday, from 12 noon to 1pm, on the Ground Floor of the Central Library.
All welcome!

For more information, please check our online event calendar.

Every year during March and including this year the first week of April, Wellington City Libraries, in partnership with the Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley, holds a series of free weekly lunchtime talks, with guest speakers on a range of law topics.

The program of seminars for March – April 2013 will include the following:

Wednesday 6 March – Central Library: Will You Trade Me? Online and other “buyer beware” trading with Jon Duffy, Trust & Safety Manager, Trade Me

Wednesday 13 March – Central Library: Driving Me Crazy: Driving offences and Limited Licenses with Cathie Sheat, Criminal Defence Barrister

Wednesday 20 March – Central Library: Old Gold: Superannuation and other state subsidies for over 65s with Ricky Miller and Derek Leat, Senior Services, Ministry of Social Development

Wednesday 27 March – Ruth Gotlieb, Kilbirnie Library: Benefit Reforms: What everybody needs to know with Kahureremoa Aki, Community Lawyer, Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley

Wednesday 3 April – Karori Library: Employment Rights, Employment Wrongs: A session for employees and employers with Kate Scarlet, Community Lawyer, Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley

For more information, please check our online Event Calendar

Come along and listen to an expert on neighbours’ disputes, ranging from falling fences, to tall trees, barking dogs and more…

Our speaker will be Darien Mahony, a lawyer at the Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley, who will have all the answers for you.
Darien has a background in general legal practice and is involved in a range of general law issues at the Law Centre.
Her presentation will be focusing on:

• The Fencing Act
• The Dog Control Act and the Animal Welfare Act
• Using the Dispute Tribunal

This talk will take place on Wednesday, 24 October 2012, from 12 noon to 1pm at Johnsonville Library, 5 Broderick Road. All welcome!

For more information about this and other sessions, check our online Event Calendar or ask at your local library.

with Viv D’Or, Employment Law Specialist

Come along to Law for Lunch at the Central Library this Wednesday from 12-1pm for accurate information about your rights at work. Viv specialises in employment relations and can offer advice about personal grievance claims, disciplinary and dismissal matters.

Viv’s presentation will be focussing on:

• Tough management style or workplace bully?
• What should good performance management look like?
• The right dismissal process (giving you a chance to improve)
• What is a Personal Grievance?
• How to raise and write a strong Personal Grievance
• Solving problems at work

A perfect opportunity to ask your questions and get the information you need for a better understanding of the Employment law.

This mini-seminar will take place on Wednesday, 17 October 2012, from 12 noon to 1pm, on the Ground Floor of the Central Library. We look forward to seeing you there!
All welcome!

For more information about this and future sessions, check our online Event Calendar for a full listing of talks in this series.

Welcome to the second session in the current series of Law for Lunch – free lunchtime seminars brought to you by Wellington City Libraries and Community Law.

Our speaker this week will be Susan Taylor, CEO Financial Dispute Resolution Services. Susan is the former Deputy Banking Ombudsman with 18 years experience in financial sector dispute resolution.

The presentation will mainly be focussing on the following issues:

• Problem with your bank, credit union, super scheme, insurer or finance company?
• Been charged the wrong fees, rates or penalties?
• Is your credit rating information incorrect?
• Has your bank tried to force you to a mortgagee sale unfairly?

A perfect opportunity to ask your questions and get the information you need for a better understanding of the law.

This mini-seminar will take place on Wednesday, 10 October 2012, from 12 noon to 1pm, on the Ground Floor of the Central Library.

Come along – all welcome!

Every year in October, Wellington City Libraries in partnership with Community Law, hold a series of free weekly lunchtime presentations with guest speakers on a range of popular law topics — and a new series of these talks begins tomorrow, Wednesday 3 October!

Our speaker for tomorrow’s talk will be Margaret Powell, a family lawyer with Cuba Family Law. Margaret has a unique insight into access to justice issues in the Family Court and is a founding partner of Cuba Family Law.

Margaret will be covering:

• Going to court over children: what are the steps?
• Legal aid and the Family Court
• New fees and increasing Family Court costs
• What’s this about Alternative Dispute Resolution?

Come along to find out more about the Family Court and its processes and how decisions are made over children’s welfare.

Details: Come along Wednesday (October the 3rd), from 12 noon to 1pm, on the Ground Floor of the Central Library. All welcome!

For more information about this and future sessions, check our online Event Calendar for a full listing of talks in this series.