Turner Hopkins Law

08/10/2026

Dear Minister, whoever you might be after the November election, I have a small request. Well, actually, it's quite a big one.

Immigration policy has become increasingly tied to election cycles, political priorities and short-term thinking. Yet the decisions we make about who can come to New Zealand, who can stay and what skills we value have consequences that extend well beyond voting day.

As a country, we need to collectively ask ourselves whether the criteria we use to select migrants - particularly wages and qualifications - are actually identifying the people New Zealand needs, or simply those who fit neatly into an administrative framework.

In this week's article, I've written an open letter to whoever takes on the Immigration portfolio after the election. It's not a plea to stop changing immigration policy. Sometimes change is absolutely necessary.

It's a request to start making those changes with a much longer-term view.

Because a country can't build a ten-year immigration strategy if it keeps starting again every three years.

https://www.turnerhopkinsimmigration.co.nz/news/dear-minister

Dear Future Minister of Immigration I do not know who you are yet. You may be the current Minister, still occupying the office after November election or you may be her replacement. You may come from National, Labour, ACT, New Zealand First, the Greens, or whoever else might end up in the political

06/10/2026

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A LAWYER!

Today we had Nicholas Qin, Year 13 student and President and Founder of the Westlake Boys High School Law Society come in and shadow one of our senior litigation solicitors Luis Paulo Santana De Mattos, for the day.

Mentoring is something Luis is genuinely passionate about, both inside and outside the office. Alongside his work in our litigation team, Luis coaches' volleyball and enjoys helping young people develop their skills, confidence and direction.

It’s always great to be able to give the next generation a glimpse into the profession, including the parts you don’t see on Suits.

Thanks for spending the day with us Nicholas! 😁

05/10/2026

On Saturday, 26 September, Olga Pelevina joined members of Auckland’s Russian-speaking community in Takapuna for an afternoon focused on navigating the process of buying and selling property in New Zealand.

The seminar brought together professionals from across the property journey, including Nick Poletaev from Harcourts New Zealand, Everglow Finance, a building inspector and an interior designer.

From KiwiSaver and deposits to building inspections, vendor warranties, financing and preparing a property for sale, each speaker brought a different perspective to the conversation with one shared goal: helping buyers and sellers better understand the process and the risks involved.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us, and to each of the speakers who shared their time, knowledge, and practical advice.

We’re proud to support our communities with legal advice that is practical, accessible, and easy to understand.

For property advice, get in touch with Olga Pelevina, Senior Associate at Turner Hopkins.

04/10/2026

RECENTLY AT TURNER HOPKINS 💚

Just a little of life behind the green walls at Turner Hopkins!

1. We hosted a quiz night! You can tell it was a good one by the smiles on everyone’s faces. 🧠

2. Daylight saving has officially started, which makes us even more grateful to have Takapuna Beach right on our doorstep. 🌞

3. A HUGE happy birthday to our one and only Paul Janssen, our brilliant Immigration Manager! We’re incredibly grateful for everything Paul does and all that he brings to TH. 🎂

4. Our Social Club recently organised a cooking class for the team. Safe to say we left feeling educated… and VERY full. 👩‍🍳

5. With the sun slowly making its return, so is deck season! The summer furniture is officially out, and Penny is clearly pretty pleased about it. ☀️

6. A brilliant achievement from Luis Paulo Santana De Mattos last week, winning his first Court of Appeal case! GO LUIS🥂

7. A bit of socialising with our building neighbours. Always a pleasure and, apparently, always plenty of smiles!

8. And, as always… lots and lots of team lunches.

01/10/2026

Life moves fast. Has your will kept up?

Buying a home, getting married, having children, or starting a business are all significant life moments. A lot can change between writing a will and actually needing it.

We’ve put together a few of those moments that might be a good reminder to check whether your will still reflects where you’re at today.

Before you Google it, talk to someone who deals with this every day. Our experts Samuel Ames, John Stirling, and Kate Chivers are here to help.

Still have questions? Good, we asked Samuel a few. More on wills coming soon!

Email: [email protected]

25/09/2026

Great to see our very own Luis Paulo Santana Mattos featured by LexisNexis New Zealand! 👏

Luis recently shared his experience using Protégé™, LexisNexis’ AI-powered legal technology, describing it as “very comprehensive” and highlighting the accuracy and simplicity of the platform.

It’s great to see one of our team contributing to the conversation around emerging legal technology and how it can support the delivery of legal services.

Well done, Luis! Link to explore here: https://lnkd.in/e7DiceWg

25/09/2026

Most people would not buy a house after a two-week holiday, yet plenty of people move countries on roughly the same level of research.

New Zealand’s remote working and tax settings now give some prospective migrants a far more sensible option: come here, live here for a while, keep working offshore and find out whether the reality matches the idea before making the bigger move.

Our latest article looks at how that can work, where the limits sit, and why migration planning may be better when it starts with life rather than a visa.

Read the article here: https://www.turnerhopkinsimmigration.co.nz/news/try-before-you-buy

Moving countries, lock, stock and barrel is a fairly ridiculous way to find out whether you like somewhere. People sell houses, resign from jobs, pull children out of schools, say goodbye to family and ship the contents of their homes halfway around the world, often on the strength of social media c

18/09/2026

Last night, Believe It or Not Quizzes came in and brought a little friendly competition to our Turner Hopkins Quiz Night!

Still plenty of smiles despite neither of the Turner Hopkins teams going home as winners… We may not be very good at recognising songs played in reverse, but at least we do the law well! 😎

Thanks to everyone who came along and made it such a fun night.

17/09/2026

Our first post in our Before You Google It series!

The idea behind this series is simple: making legal information a little more human. Real questions, straightforward answers, and conversations with the people behind Turner Hopkins.

No scripts. No studio. Just a conversation.

For our first one, we sat down with John Stirling, Partner in our Property and Estate Planning team, to talk about buying a home, including what you should be thinking about if you’re purchasing property while in a relationship.

The kind of questions you might Google at 10pm… answered by someone who deals with them every day.

(This series provides general information only and isn’t a substitute for legal advice specific to your circumstances.)

15/09/2026

A career in journalism awaits?

Big thanks to Craig Walsh from Front Row Productions for filming the event, the speakers and even catching me at the NZAMI conference.

An excellent day, some interesting presentations and a great chance to catch up with colleagues from within the industry.