2020 Cannabis Law Reform Symposium Paper

A symposium paper compiled from the responses at the Cannabis Law Reform panel discussion in August 2020. The paper provides an overview of the proposed changes set to be implemented by the Bill as well as the most prominent arguments for and against the legalisation of cannabis.

Submission on Legislative Responses to Future National Emergencies

A submission to the Regulations Review Committee on Parliament’s legislative response to future national emergencies.This submission discusses the propriety of conferring unchecked executive power through delegated legislation in times of national emergency, and proposes a number of legal safeguards to ensure that future legislation is constitutionally sound.

Miscarriages of Justice Symposium Paper

This is a research report conducted to outline the circumstances of the prosecution, conviction, trials, retrials and appeals of Teina Pora, David Bain and Mark Lundy to promote informed discussion at the Symposium. This report aims to be objective and to present the facts as they stand based on evidence gathered and considered by EJP’s Outreach volunteers.

Audiovisual Recordings: Miscarriages of Justice

In recent years, New Zealand’s attention has turned towards the reality that there are innocent people in our prisons. Following high-profile proceedings, the Equal Justice Project’s Outreach team was delighted to welcome guests to the University of Auckland on May 13 to discuss how miscarriages of justice occur and, importantly, what we can do to prevent them.

Access to Justice Symposium Paper

Access to justice is a vital part of the fundamental right of a person to a fair trial. All people deserve to access the resources of the justice system in order to resolve their legal issue. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.This symposium paper will discuss some of the access to justice issues surrounding a lack of funding for court services and other alternative resources.

Sexual Crime Law Symposium Paper

Various proposals are currently being made on how New Zealand should deal with sexual crime. These proposals have reignited an ongoing debate about the tensions between due process concerns and the low conviction rates for sexual crime.This symposium paper will investigate both the new policies and policies that have been issues in the past.

Symposium Paper on Prisoners’ Voting Rights

The paper begins with an introduction to the arguments surrounding prisoners’ right to vote, followed by a jurisdictional overview including discussion of important cases. It finishes with the question of a regional human rights mechanism.

Submission to the Justice and Electoral Committee on the Family Court Proceedings Reform Bill

A submission raising concern about the Bill’s serious deficiencies in regards to protecting vulnerable children and victims of domestic violence. The submission also addresses the Bill’s failure to ensure an accessible family justice system for Court users.

Symposium on Judicial Accountability Issues Paper

In this paper, the Equal Justice Project seeks to elucidate the role of the judiciary in the New Zealand legal system, the principle of judicial independence and judicial analyses of this in the leading cases of Chapman and Saxmere, and to assess appointment and accountability of judges in context and in contrast to other professional regimes.

Report on the EJP Outreach Drug Law Symposium

EJP Report covering the symposium on Drug Reform at the Faculty of Law on 28 April 2014. The panel included Khylee Quince, Senior Lecturer and Tumuaki/Associate Dean (Maori) at the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland and Simon O’Connor MP (National – Tamaki).