From the Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture

Welcome to the first quarterly edition of LawTalk for 2020. We’re really pleased to be back in print after nearly six months of digital only. Thank you for your patience over the past few months as we’ve navigated the impacts of covid. The decision to move away from publishing 11 times…

Te Ao Hurihuri: The Changing World

The former Presidents of Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa have co-edited this edition of Kōrero Mō te Aotearoa. The section Te Ao Hurihuri (The Changing World) examines the role of te reo Māori within the legal profession and the place of tikanga Māori which is often referred to as the…

Poipoia te kākano kia puawai. Nuture the seed and it will blossom

Employment lawyer Alice Anderson looks at the parallels between the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and employment law.

Kia Tū Tika Ai Te Whare Ture

In this beautifully phrased piece Alana uses a traditional Muriwhenua narrative to introduce this article that discusses the important role of te reo Māori in the law.

We can learn from traditional Māori practices

One way New Zealand can enhance its justice system is to explore what we can learn from traditional Māori practices, says Sir Kim Workman.

Helping people through the system

As a Māori working in the criminal justice system “it is important to help people who become involved with the system work through it,” says Riki Donnelly, who is a Director of Preston Russell in Invercargill.

Inspiring indigenous legal education for Aotearoa

Invercargill based Riki Donnelly tells us about his work as a Crown prosecutor and what prosecutors can do to help the justice system “overcome its historic institutional racism and the disenfranchisement of those that appear before it”.

E ako ki te ora, e ora ki te ako. Learn to live, live to learn

Six inspiring wāhine lawyers discuss their reasons for taking a year out of their careers to study te reo Māori, their aspirations for themselves and the legal profession and some useful phrases we can all start using in the office.

Tikanga Māori in NZ Common Law

The Supreme Court has just reminded us that our law is indeed sourced in two streams and that the legal profession ought to be prepared to engage with Māori law as part of the common law of New Zealand.

Tikanga Māori issues with the proposed End of Life Choice Act 2019

Edmund Carrucan provides a thought-provoking insight into the End of Life Choice Act as considered from a te ao Māori perspective.

Te ao hurihuri: A view from fourth year law student Te Uranga Royal

Our section ends with the next generation of Māori legal professionals coming through university, with a piece from fourth year Waikato student Te Uranga Royal.

From Rwanda to Taranaki: Dealing with the horrors of inhumanity

Senior Lecturer Alison Cole talks about her experience working on the UN war crimes tribunals in Rwanda investigating abuses.

David Hepburn — President of Actionstep

Andrew interviews David Hepburn, President of Actionstep, about legal innovation, the role of technology in the legal profession and the rise of data-driven lawyers.

High Court releases judgment on the legality of the ‘lockdown’

We discuss our role as intervenor in the case brought by Dr Andrew Borrowdale testing the legality of several aspects of the lockdown.

General Election 2020

We asked all the parties seeking your vote in the upcoming election for their key objectives in the justice portfolio, their plans in relation to access to justice and how they would improve the courts and court processes.

How lawyers can make a difference to community recovery

September is wills month – designed to draw kiwis’ attention to making sure their legacy is in order.

End of Life Choice Act 2019

Oliver Fredrickson looks at the Act we’ll be voting on in the upcoming referendum in detail.

A woman of immense integrity

Shirley Smith was a “woman of immense integrity,” according to her son-in-law Keith Ovenden.

Improving the legal aid provider experience

It’s been quite a year and it’s certainly been a time when we have seen professionals across New Zealand pause and reflect on what they can do to make a difference.

Mental Health Awareness Pot Pourri

Mental Health Awareness Week is 21 to 27 September 2020. In the run-up to this week, Sarah Taylor, Katie Cowan and Sian Wingate share some thoughts, ideas, and challenges.

Need for genuine trust expertise has never been greater

Partner, Head of Private Wealth at Dentons Kensington Swan, Henry Brandts-Giesen writes about the increasing need for contemporary New Zealand trusts practitioners who are genuine experts in the law, governance and administration of trusts.

Privacy law reform: what it means for lawyers

The Privacy Commissioner tells us about a significant set of reforms to the Privacy Act that will come into force in December and what it means for lawyers.

Considering a lateral move as a partner?

Former lawyer turned recruitment specialist Mark asks the questions senior practitioners should consider when contemplating a lateral career move.

Competition as a source of social conflict

When competition holds sway over our society and our way of life we suffer as a species.

Will-making: a cornerstone of New Zealand legal services

By Jamie Dobson New Zealand’s first Wills Act migrated from the United Kingdom with its early settlers. Enacted in 1837, it became part of the governing legislature of the original dominion. The first real makeover of the Wills Act came some 160 years later, after a review of succession law was…