12/10/2026
Join us for the NZ Bill of Rights Forum & Cocktail Evening: NZ Bill of Rights Act, Statutory Interpretation and the Courts on Thursday, 12 November 2026.
Since 2020, New Zealand’s senior courts have considered significant questions about the relationship between Parliament, the Executive, the courts and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.
The forum, comprising Lady Deborah Chambers KC, Jack Hodder ONZM KC, Dr Andrew Butler KC, Matthew Smith KC, Dr Robert Joseph, Dr David Harvey, and Warren Pyke, will be moderated by Klara Green and examine a series of key decisions about contemporary judicial thinking.
Across three focused discussions, the panel will explore the principle of legality, rights-consistent statutory interpretation, freedom of expression and protest, and the evolving relationship between legislation, common law and judicial decision-making.
The final discussion will turn to climate change litigation and the Supreme Court’s decision in Smith, considering questions of standing, tort law, tikanga, legislative frameworks and the boundaries between judicial and political decision-making.
The evening will provide an opportunity to engage with some of the broader constitutional questions raised by these decisions and consider where the boundaries of judicial interpretation should lie.
Register to attend here: https://www.thelawassociation.nz/event/nz-bill-of-rights-forum-cocktail-evening-nz-bill-of-rights-act-statutory-interpretation-and-the-courts/
