Charlotta Harpur is a civil litigation and insurance law specialist with 20 years’ experience. Originally from Sweden, and having qualified in the UK, she came to Aotearoa in 2009 with her husband and two sons. She quickly gained a passion for working with local authorities, who in turn work for their communities. Charlotta has a strong reputation for being pragmatic, thinking outside the box and achieving good outcomes for clients through alternative dispute resolution. Having said that, when litigation is the best option Charlotta is a strong advocate who has appeared in the Weathertight Homes Tribunal, District Court, High Court and the Court of Appeal. Charlotta joined Rice Speir in 2021 and heads up the new Tauranga office. She lives at Papamoa Beach and outside of work enjoys family time at the beach, travelling around Aotearoa, photography, and classic cars.
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High Court declines application for summary judgment against Council
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Court rules against developer in resource consent fee dispute
Court rules against developer in resource consent fee dispute – and rejects negligence and breach of contract arguments Judge K G Davenport KC has sided with Tauranga City Council (TCC), granting summary judgment for $15,387.45 in unpaid resource consent fees and striking out the developer’s counterclaims against TCC for negligence, contract, and legitimate expectation. The…
Court of Appeal backs Council’s position on limitation and late knowledge
We recently reported on the High Court and the Court of Appeal dismissing stale claims against councils. In Rea v Auckland Council [2024] NZCA 313, the Court of Appeal continued this positive trend. Background In the Rea case, Auckland Council issued a CCC for a house in October 2013. Mr and Mrs Rea purchased the…
Court of Appeal finds for council in pool fence dispute
In a win for councils nation-wide, in Tasman District Council v Buchanan, the Court of Appeal has overturned a decision relating to councils’ duty of care when inspecting residential swimming pools – holding that councils do not have a duty of care when carrying out pool inspections, and that the purpose of pool fencing legislation…