An address to the Auckland Rotary Club, delivered on 23 November 2009. The address provides an introduction to the Law Commission’s issues paper, Alcohol in our Lives, and gives an overview of the lessons learnt from the Commission’s consultation and submissions process

An address to the Alcohol Advisory Council's “Working Together” conference, delivered on 15 May 2009. The address focuses on the health and injury-related consequences of alcohol consumption, from foetal alcohol disorders to chronic diseases. It argues that the risks associated with alcohol...

An address to New Zealand Police’s “Alcohol related harm” breakfast, delivered on 24 April 2009. The address introduces the Law Commission’s review of the law relating to the sale and supply of liquor in New Zealand. It outlines the Commission's two central concerns: first, the...

An address to the Pan Liquor Industry Symposium, delivered on 24 February 2009. The address introduces the Law Commission’s review of the law concerning the sale and supply of liquor in New Zealand, outlining its general principles, methods and time frame. It provides a preliminary overview of...

An address to the Hospitality Association's annual conference, delivered on 30 September 2009. The address canvasses some of the issues identified in the Law Commission’s issues paper, Alcohol in our Lives, including "pre-loading", alcohol sale promotions, and the drinking age. It discusses...

An address to the 2009 Local Government New Zealand Conference. The address reviews the nature of the alcohol industry as of 2009. It provides an overview of statistics related to New Zealanders’ drinking habits, including the relationships between alcohol, crime, antisocial behaviour and...

A journalistic piece written for the Dominion Post in 2014. It makes the case for a Royal Commission into the public service, citing the absence of free and frank advice to ministers, the difficulty of recruiting staff into the core public service, its “cult of management”, and the silo...

An address to the 2002 CLAIR Forum, delivered on 6 December 2002. The address provides a brief history of local government in New Zealand, as well as an overview of its functions, powers and accountability mechanisms. It also examines the Local Government Bill as it then stood, arguing that it...

A paper and presentation prepared for the Local Government New Zealand Conference, Rotorua, 29 July 2002. The purpose of the paper and presentation is to examine the topography of the territory in which local government in New Zealand will be situated after the Local Government Bill 2001 has...

A presentation to the “Workshop for Councils to Discuss Recent Initiatives to Replace the Current Local Government Act”, delivered on 28 October 1999. The presentation introduces the Local Government Bill, drafted by Chen Palmer, and the power of general competence for which the Bill provides