Reviewed by Geoff Adlam

Mental Capacity Law in New Zealand

By Iris Reuvecamp and John Dawson, general editors

The book contains contributions from 15 authors who include legal practitioners, academics, bioethicists and psychiatrists. Its focus is on the law governing the position of people who lack capacity to make decisions about their personal care or property, and the position of people appointed to make decisions on their behalf. It is organised into five parts, covering core concepts and processes, authority and justification for making decisions for others, decisions about personal care and welfare, and property-related decisions. The fifth part, by the general editors, presents conclusions and looks at the future of mental capacity law. The book addresses civil law capacity issues and does not address the criminal law.

Thomson Reuters NZ Ltd, 978-1-988591-09-4, August 2019, paperback and e-book, 425 pages, $190 (excludes postage and GST).

Forensic Science and the Law

By Anna Sandiford

Subtitled “A Guide For Police, Lawyers and Expert Witnesses”, this has been written by independent Christchurch-based forensic science consultant Dr Anna Sandiford and updates her 2013 first edition. Divided into 19 chapters, it examines the main areas of forensic evidence which are encountered in criminal and traffic cases. The first four chapters focus on expert witnesses and expert evidence. Areas covered include scene examinations, drugs, trace material, images and audio, fingerprints, document examination, bloodstains and DNA. Two concluding chapters look at the requirements for medical expertise and working with psychologists and psychiatrists.

Thomson Reuters NZ Ltd, 978-1-988591-07-0, August 2019, paperback and e-book, 436 pages, $120 (excludes postage and GST).