Victoria University has this week been shown to award significantly more C and D grades to its law students than the Universities of Auckland and Otago. But does it matter? C’s get degrees, never more so than at the law faculty of Victoria University of Wellington. Oscar Battell-Wallace is in his final year of a … Read more
If you think there’s an easy answer on the whole Lauren Southern/Stefan Molyneux saga, law professor Andrew Geddis reckons you probably haven’t thought about it hard enough. Up until about a week ago, I and most of New Zealand hadn’t the faintest clue who Lauren Southern or Stefan Molyneux were. Having better things to do … Read more
Baby names that are also official ranks and titles, like Prince or Lord, are not allowed in New Zealand. In the case of the name Justice, lawyer Dr Bevan Marten thinks the government has it wrong – and he’s offering to represent pro bono any parent who wants to use it. This story was first published … Read more
Last week, a Supreme Court decision awarded a woman $520,000 to make up for the fact that she gave up her career and potential income to look after the couple’s children and home. The Law Commission’s Stephen Day discusses the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 as it stands and what could be done to change it. This … Read more
Nearly half of all children born last year were born to parents not married or in a civil union – and splitting up when you have property and children can be very complex. The Law Commission’s Stephen Day explains what the Property (Relationships) Act looks like now, and what it could look like with your input. … Read more
Fair access to the judicial system is societal linchpin, but there’s an increasing divide between those who can afford good legal representation and those who can’t. Adam Goodall looks at how the legal profession has been trying to raise the alarm. Back at the start of August, Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias gave a speech … Read more
Many, including the PM, were surprised this week to learn that blasphemy remains an offence under NZ law. The one and only case of prosecution dates from 1922, when John Glover was prosecuted in the Supreme Court for republishing in his paper the Maoriland Worker the anti-war poem ‘Stand-to: Good Friday Morning’ by Siegfried Sassoon … Stand-to: … Read more
In 2016 notorious criminal Arthur Taylor successfully challenged the government’s blanket ban on prisoners voting in elections. In 2018 the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s ruling that the ban is inconsistent with the Bill of Rights, however Justice Minister Andrew Little has said changing the law is currently ‘not a priority’. In 2017 … Read more
An appalling and outdated law means thousands of New Zealanders still have no access to information about their identities. Bonnie Sumner wants to know why the Government refuses to recognise the terrible legacy of forced adoptions. When my mother gave birth to me and held me in her arms, I was the first blood relative … Read more