News Item

World Bar Conference

Perhaps the most prestigious event on the 2014 legal calendar will be the World Bar Conference in Queenstown 4-6 September, the first time this biennial event will be held in New Zealand. The Foundation is contributing $50,000 towards bringing 10 international speakers to the event, themed around the topic “Advocates as Protectors of the Rule of Law”.

Confirmed speakers at the conference include Lord Dyson, UK Master of the Rolls; Justice Robert Jay, leading counsel in the Levinson phone hacking enquiry; Sir Christopher Greenwood, Judge in the International Court of Justice; Singapore Chief Justice Menon; and Chief United States Court of Appeal Judge Alex Kozinsky.

Other international presenters include leading Zimbabwean human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, former Hong Kong Bar Association head Russell Coleman, and former UK Bar Association head Stephen Hockman.

Around 220-240 delegates are expected to attend the conference from bar association member countries. Further information and registration details can be found on this web site.

Design of Capital Gains Tax – two events on key issues

University of Auckland’s Business School and Faculty of Law have scheduled two events on Capital Gains Tax (CGT) this year. Both are aimed at informing New Zealand debate on CGT, but with a focus on what form a CGT should take, rather than whether NZ should have one.

The Law Foundation is providing funding to bring international speakers. An important focus for these events is to compare ways in which other jurisdictions tax capital gains and what can be learned from their experience.
First event – Capital Gains Tax Conference

This was held at University of Auckland on 18 July 2014. The Foundation provided funding to bring keynote speaker Professor David Duff from Canada. Experts from Australia, South Africa, the UK, and the US also gave presentations.

News item from University of Auckland about the conference

Conference handbook including presenters’ profiles and briefing papers

Second event – Lecture: Capital Gains Tax from a Netherlands viewpoint

This will be given on Thurs 11 September by Professor Eric Kemmeren, Chairman of the Tax Economics Department of the Fiscal Institute at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. He is also a member of the European Tax College.

Details about Professor Kemmeren’s lecture Thurs 11 Sept at University of Auckland

Law Foundation is providing up to $13,000 to bring keynote speakers to these events.

Public Lectures on Indigenous Environmentalism – Professor Gerald Torres

The Sustainability Conference, held at Victoria University’s Centre for Public Law in Feb 2014, included keynote speaker Professor Gerald Torres of Cornell University, via video conference. As Professor Torres was unable to attend the Sustainability Conference in person, he is now touring New Zealand Law Schools in July/Aug 2014. He is a leading figure in critical race theory, environmental law and federal Indian Law.

Professor Torres will present a public lecture on “Enacting Sovereignty: Indigenous Environmentalism” at University of Waikato on Wed 23 July, and at Victoria University Wellington on Monday 28th July. He will also take part in the UNDRIP* symposium at Waikato (24/25 July) and in staff seminars at law schools in Auckland, Wellington and Otago.

The Law Foundation is providing up to $5,500 for Professor Torres’ visit.

El Hombre Del Sur has published 4 reports on thought-provoking issues raised at the Sustainability Conference in Feb 2014: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4.

*UNDRIP Symposium is to do with the Implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Aotearoa.

Implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Aotearoa – Theory and Practice Symposium

To be held 24-25 July 2014 at the University of Waikato. The aim of the symposium is to explore and promote greater understanding of the implications of New Zealand’s endorsement of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for NZ law and policy on M?ori rights. Experts in international law and indigenous rights and domestic legal issues will take part in the symposium as detailed on this web page.

Foundation funding will enable attendance by keynote speakers Professor James Anaya, UN special rapporteur of indigenous peoples, and Professor Mick Dodson of the Australian National University.

Law Foundation is providing up to $19,000: $6,900 to bring keynote speakers, $3,100 for law school student attendance and $9,000 towards publishing conference proceedings.

Sir John Graham Lecture

The Maxim Institute’s annual Sir John Graham Lecture, will be delivered by Professor Helen Alvare of the George Mason School of Law in Virginia, USA. Her topic will be “The fundamental right to freedom of conscience and belief”. This event is scheduled for Thursday 31^st July at the Heritage Hotel in Auckland. Further details are now available on the Maxim Institute web site.

Law Foundation is providing up to $5,000 towards bringing this year’s speaker.

NZ Law Foundation International Dispute Resolution Lecture

This year the NZ Law Foundation International Dispute Resolution Lecture will be delivered by Professor Thomas Stipanowich, of Pepperdine University in Malibu California. The lecture will be held on Tues 30th Sept at Victoria University’s law school in Wellington (VUW) and again on Wed 1st Oct at University of Auckland’s Northey Lecture Theatre. Professor Stipanowich is a leading scholar, speaker and trainer on conflict resolution topics and an experienced arbitrator and mediator. He is also the author of many publications on arbitration and dispute resolution.
While in New Zealand Professor Stipanowich will be hosted by the VUW Law School. His itinerary includes breakfast seminars in Wellington and Auckland for the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of NZ, and a seminar at the University of Auckland Law School.

Details about VUW lecture at VUW on Tues 30th Sept

Details about University of Auckland lecture on Wed 1st Oct

Law Foundation is providing up to $12,950 towards Professor Stipanowich’s visit.

Law Foundation’s 2014 Distinguished Visiting Fellow

This year’s fellow is an intellectual property law expert, Professor Jane Ginsburg of New York’s Columbia Law School. Professor Ginsburg will be hosted by the Law Faculty at Victoria University of Wellington during Oct-Nov. She will spend 4-5 weeks touring New Zealand law schools and delivering public lectures in the major centres.

The titles for her two public lectures are:

From Hypatia to Victor Hugo to Larry & Sergey: “All the world’s knowledge” and Universal Authors’ Rights.

Supreme Court’s Aereo decision and the U.S.’ international obligation to implement the “making available right:” Are we there yet?

Further information about Professor Ginsburg and her public lecture topic.

Each year the Law Foundation provides funding of up to $40,000 towards the visit of their Distinguished Visiting Fellow.

Each year the Law Foundation provides funding up to $40,000 for this visit.

18th Ethel Benjamin Commemorative Address

The 2014 Ethel Benjamin Address will be given by New Zealand’s Chief High Court Judge Helen Winkelmann, on 7th November in Dunedin.

The address, run annually by Otago Woman Lawyers Society (OWLS), is given in honour of New Zealand’s first woman barrister and solicitor, Ethel Benjamin who was admitted to the bar in 1897.

More details will be available closer to the date of Justice Winkelmann’s address.

Seminar: New Zealand Bill of Rights: Continuing the Conversation

This public event, on Tues 3rd June, is an opportunity to hear three speakers share their views on matters highlighted in the Constitutional Advisory Panel’s Report to Government (Nov 2013). This report presents the results of the Panel’s public conversation about New Zealand’s constitutional arrangements.

All speakers have extensive knowledge of bills of rights instruments in comparable Commonwealth countries:

Professor Stephen Gardbaum – California, USA

Tom Hickman – London, UK

Joanna Davidson – Melbourne, Australia

Registrations are essential via the University of Otago’s web page about this event.

This is a free event to be held 8.50am till noon on Tues 3 June in the Old Legislative Chamber at Parliament Buildings, Wellington. It is brought to you by the combined efforts of the Law Schools of Otago, Auckland and Victoria (Wellington) universities.

Law Foundation is providing up to $15,000 to bring keynote speakers to this event.

Lecture: The Collection and Retention of DNA from Suspects in NZ

Dr Nessa Lynch of Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) and Dr Liz Campbell of the University of Edinburgh are giving a public lecture on Monday 14 April at VUWs School of Law. The focus of their lecture is on the scope of the power to acquire DNA from suspects in NZ. Discussion of their topic is informed by comparative analysis.

The lecture is part of Dr Lynch’s Law Foundation funded research project looking at the law and policy relating to the pre-trial collection and retention of genetic material.

The Law Foundation is providing up to $30,000 towards this research project that is due to be completed in March 2015.