The following is a revised version of the second Woodhouse Memorial Lecture given at both the Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Auckland in September 2018. It traces the history and policy iterations of New Zealand's accident compensation scheme that flowed from the 1967...

This article discusses the debates in New Zealand concerning extensive amendments to the Resource Management Act 1991 and other inquiries into natural resources and environmental law in New Zealand. It criticises the Government's proposed reforms but suggests directions that change could take....

The article describes the world-wide efforts or the lack thereof to combat climate change in the last 25 years. The article asks whether the world has to wait until the adversity actually sets in before effective action is taken; whether the failure to act is caused because people have not yet...

This article, by the person who was the Minister responsible for the introduction and passage of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, reviews 25 years of experience New Zealand has had with the legislation. The NZ Bill of Rights Act does not constitute higher law or occupy any preferred...

This chapter is taken from the book ‘Reform: A Memoir' by Sir Geoffrey Palmer. Much of the book is concerned with his involvement with New Zealand's political and governmental institutions and how they function, along with suggestions of how they may function better. This chapter examines the...

This paper comprises two articles in which the author surveys the experience in New Zealand with the Resource Management Act 1991. It covers the origins of the Act, the failure of central government over a long period to use the policy instruments available under the Act, and the lack of...

This article advocates a new mindset to protect the natural environment following repeal of the Resource Management Act (RMA). The proposed new legislation will be insufficient to protect the natural environment, which has deteriorated during the life of the RMA and now requires urgent action. A...

An address to a meeting in Dunedin introducing A Constitution for Aotearoa New Zealand on 30 November 2016. The address makes the case for a written constitution in the light of concerning trends overseas, such as the rise of the “post-truth” age in Donald Trump’s United States and the...

The keynote address to the Open Source/Open Society Conference, delivered on 22 August 2016. The address introduces Sir Geoffrey Palmer and Dr Andrew Butler’s new book, A Constitution for Aotearoa New Zealand, and discusses the shortcomings of New Zealand’s unwritten constitution

An address to the Ōtara community, delivered on 5 May 2010. The address provides an overview of the Law Commission’s review of New Zealand’s liquor laws. It discusses a range of issues identified during consultation with the Ōtara community, including the density of alcohol outlets in...