Sheddan Pritchard Law Limited

Sheddan Pritchard Law Limited On 1 April 2016 Neil Pritchard and John Sheddan relocated their practices and commenced business as Sheddan Pritchard Law Ltd. in Gore, Southland.

Neil Pritchard and John Sheddan relocated our practices from Bannermans Lawyers Gore and commenced business on 1 April 2016 in the old Public Trust building at 8 Mersey Street, Gore. We are proud to be joined by senior solicitor Karen Menlove, legal assistants Lisa Stanton, Amanda Jones and Beth Hood, and our Trust Accountant Coral Burns. We are directly opposite the new RSA extension which incorporates Gore's newest landmark, the RSA Poppy Wall.

07/10/2026

Trigger warning – Sexual Assault

Let’s go back to law school.

What is consent?

“She didn’t say no.”

“She came back to my room.”

“We’d been drinking.”

“We’d done it before.”

“I thought she was okay with it.”

But, did she consent? Or did he?

Consent is not something you simply assume.

Silence is not consent.

Consent yesterday is not consent today.

Consent to one thing is not necessarily consent to another.

And being drunk does not make the question disappear, or give an excuse.

Perhaps the simplest question is this - if you are not sure you have consent — what are you doing?

This is a conversation we need to have with our sons and our daughters.

Not after something has happened.

Before.

Because getting consent wrong can change two lives forever.

And there is another uncomfortable truth.

Once an allegation of sexual assault is made, public opinion can move almost instantly from allegation to guilt. Consider the Cornell 7, currently there are only allegations.

Social media doesn’t have a burden of proof, it doesn’t hear the evidence, it it doesn’t wait for a court.

That doesn’t mean we don’t listen to allegations.

We should.

But listening to an allegation and deciding someone is guilty are not the same thing.

Consent matters.

05/10/2026

⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING — SEXUAL ASSAULT

The Cornell 7 started the conversation.

So, let’s go back to law school basics.

What is r**e?

At its simplest, r**e is sexual in*******se without consent.

That sounds straightforward.

But what does “without consent” actually mean?

Is silence consent?

What if someone is drunk?

What if they initially said yes?

What if they change their mind?

What if they are asleep?

What if the people involved are already in a relationship?

These sound like simple questions.

But they are questions we need to be able to answer — and questions we need to be talking about with our young people.

Because if we’re going to talk about r**e, we need to understand consent.

That’s next.

Let’s turn on the light.

03/10/2026

The Cornell 7 made me wonder: does it happen here?

The answer is yes.

Earlier this year, in R v B & Ors [2026] NZHC 1303, three young men were sentenced in New Zealand following convictions for the r**e of the same woman. Two received sentences of more than 10 years’ imprisonment.

It is not the Cornell case, but it is a reminder that New Zealand is not immune from sexual violence involving young people.

There is also an important difference.

Under New Zealand law, being drunk is not consent. A person who is so affected by alcohol or drugs that they cannot consent, cannot consent.

Our sons need to understand that.

Our daughters need to know that.

And perhaps most importantly, we all need to keep talking about it.

Silence protects the wrong people.

02/10/2026

Trigger warning – sexual assault

I AM JANE DOE

The Cornell 7.
The Cornell 57.

If you have sons, Google it.

If you have daughters, Google it.

If your children will one day go to university, travel the world, leave home — or simply grow up — Google it.

Read about what Jane Doe alleges happened.
Read about the response.
Read about the questions now being asked.

Sexual violence and silence live in the shadows.

Let’s turn on the light.

I AM JANE DOE

23/07/2026

New Flood Plan: What You Need to Know about the 0.5 AEP

There is a lot of discussion recently in town about flood risk, with terms such as "0.5% AEP" and "1 in 200-year flood" appearing in the Ensign, the news, council reports, LIMs and engineering assessments. So what do they actually mean?

A 0.5% AEP (Annual Exceedance Probability) simply means there is a 0.5% chance of a flood of that size, or larger, occurring in any given year.

It does not mean the flood will only happen once every 200 years. The probability resets each year, so two such floods could occur only a few years apart, or even in consecutive years.

Those who are a little older may recall that the now-abandoned township of Kelso experienced two major floods in just 15 months, in 1978 and 1980. Both were regarded as "100-year floods" at the time, and the second ultimately led to the decision to relocate the township. It is a good reminder that a "1 in 100-year flood" describes the annual probability of an event occurring, not that it can only happen once every 100 years.

Understanding this terminology is important when buying property, subdividing land, or considering future development, as it is one of the tools councils, engineers and insurers use to assess flood risk.

17/05/2026

A study by Massey University, Earth Sciences New Zealand, and Canary Innovation on how people understood and responded to weather warnings during the October 2025 severe wind events in Aotearoa New Zealand.

08/01/2026

As you’ll have no doubt seen, there’s been a major cyber breach involving Manage My Health, an internet service used by medical providers in New Zealand, with users’ personal data potentially exposed online.

Details and finger-pointing have only just begun, and it is still unclear how the breach occurred or how much data may be at risk.

This is a good reminder to change your online passwords now — especially if you’re someone who reuses the same password across multiple accounts. One small reset today can save a very big headache later.

Merry Christmas from Sheddan Pritchard Law Limited
13/12/2025

Merry Christmas from Sheddan Pritchard Law Limited

Measles update – what you need to knowNew Zealand is currently experiencing a measles outbreak, with recent cases in Que...
07/12/2025

Measles update – what you need to know

New Zealand is currently experiencing a measles outbreak, with recent cases in Queenstown and Dunedin, so there is potential for exposure in our community.

Measles spreads very easily, so it’s important to stay vigilant and know the key symptoms.

Watch for the following symptoms:
1. High fever
2. Cough
3. Runny nose
4. Red, sore eyes (conjunctivitis)
5. Small white spots inside the mouth
6. A blotchy red rash appearing several days after the first symptoms, starting on the face and spreading down the body

If you or someone in your household develops symptoms, stay home and phone your GP or Healthline before visiting a medical centre.

You can find more information, including advice on MMR vaccination, on the Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora websites.

Address

8 Mersey Street (the Old Public Trust Building)
Gore
9710

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

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