Seminars, Webinars & Events happening in the Law & Economics Sector in New Zealand
LEANZ and Buddle Findlay invite you to the LEANZ AGM and a seminar (in-person and online) where the Hon Judith Collins KC will present on the challenges and opportunities for local and central governments with technological advances.
We invite you to submit an academic essay that approaches a contemporary issue using a Law and Economics lens. The essay should apply economic analysis to an existing or possible legal rule or institution and explain the rule’s effects on behaviour. It can discuss whether these effects are socially desirable. The essay can concern any area of law including competition law, regulation, property rights, contracts or public management.
Deadline for submissions is 28 February 2026.
Open to under- and post-graduate university students or recent graduates (enrolled in the 12 months prior to deadline for submissions) of any New Zealand university faculty.
2,000 to 15,000 words with no adverse inferences drawn from essay length, provided the subject matter is well addressed.
Essays that have been submitted for university courses in the 18 months preceding the deadline are eligible.
“Plugging the gaps in consent: standard form contracts and their failings” (2024).
“Devicive: Medical Device Regulation and the New Zealand Therapeutic Products Act 2023” (2023).
“Should the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Continue their Endeavours to Implement a Central Bank Digital Currency for Retail Application” (2022).
“Five-Eyes, Spies and International Ties: A Common Whistleblowing Regime” (2021).
Winner: Nicholas Howell of Auckland University, for his essay titled “Plugging the gaps in consent: standard form contracts and their failings”. (LEANR MORE)
Runner-up: Timothy Fisher-Taylor from the University of Canterbury for his essay titled “Growing gains and shrinking pains under firm size-differentiated regulation”. (LEANR MORE)
Winner: Hugo Young of Victoria University, for his essay titled: “Devicive”: Medical Device Regulation and the New Zealand Therapeutic Products Act 2023”.
Runner-up: Christina Posner of Auckland University, for her essay titled: “The New Zealand-China Double Tax Agreement: Modern China’s Effect on New Zealand’s Treaty Negotiations”
The winning essay this year was by James Sinclair titled Should the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Continue their Endeavours to Implement a Central Bank Digital Currency for Retail Application.
Congratulations to James Sinclair and many thanks to Bryce Wilkinson and the other judges for their hard work.
The winning entry this year was Nicholas Goldstein for his essay Five-Eyes, Spies, and International Ties: A Common Whistleblowing Regime.
Runner up was Connor Browne, LIFE’S NOT FAIR, BUT PHARMAC IS — DEFENDING PHARMAC FROM ITS CRITICS.
Congratulations to both winners and many thanks to Bryce Wilkinson and the other judges for their hard work.
LEANZ received 24 entries to the essay competition in 2020, a record number of entries. The standard at the top end of the submissions was very high.
The winning entry was Nathan Tse for his essay Decentralised Autonomous Organisations and the Corporate Form. This essay examined the role of decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) and asked whether DAOs really improve the corporate form. DAOs ostensibly eliminate agency costs due to the absence of a board of directors, automated governance mechanisms and transparency provided by the blockchain upon which the DAO is launched. Nathan’s analysis suggested several practical and legal obstacles that technological advancements and improved engineering must overcome before DAOs become a viable, mainstream organisational structure. Balancing the inevitable improvement in technology against these significant obstacles, this article predicts an incremental integration of DAOs into society through a hybrid approach, involving interim legal solutions and varying degrees of automation and decentralisation.
Runner up was Chanelle Duley, Democracy or Technocracy?: Policy Delegation and Populism? This paper identifies the incentives faced by elected and appointed policymakers and compares the efficiency of each policymaker’s performance under such incentives.
With thanks to Bryce Wilkinson, Lew Evans, George Barker and Bronwyn Howell for acting as judges.
LEANZ is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2019 LEANZ essay competition:
Winner ($3,000 prize): Lauren Tyler-Harwood–“Achieving Water Security in the Waimea Plains”
Runner-up (discretionary $1,500 prize): Riki Fujii-Rajani–“Can’t Touch This? Sovereign Debt and the Law of Sovereign Immunity”
Thanks to the judging panel of LEANZ Fellows and committee members:
George Barker, Andreas Heuser, Bronwyn Howell, Michael Littlewood and Bryce Wilkinson
Pictures from the prize-giving event prior to the 4 September 2019 Wellington seminar at Chapman Tripp:
The Law and Economics Association of New Zealand, Inc. (LEANZ) is pleased to announce the winner and commendable runner up of the inaugural LEANZ Essay Competition.
The first prize of $3,000 was awarded to Alex Ross: “Green Bonds Securities Regulation: Towards a Low Carbon Economy”
The discretionary prize for a commendable runner-up prize of $1,500 was awarded to Louis Norton: “Is Defensive Practice Defensible”
The competition was open to current or recent under- or post-graduate New Zealand university students of any discipline. Entries closed on 7 May 2018. The original full entry criteria and information here. Please keep an eye out for announcements for the 2019 LEANZ Essay Competition.
LEANZ has awarded two scholarships of $10,000 each for overseas study of law and economics in the academic year 2013-2014.
The Friedlander Foundation Scholarship, generously funded by the Friedlander Foundation, is awarded to Samuel Beswick of Auckland who is to read for an LLM at Harvard.
A C W Maughan Scholarship, funded by members of LEANZ, is awarded to Richard Davidson of Wellington who is to read for an LLM at Toronto.
LEANZ is delighted to be able to assist two candidates of such excellent calibre and looks forward to their future contributions to law and economics in New Zealand.
The Law and Economics Association of New Zealand today expresses its sadness at the death its inaugural Patron Sir Ivor Richardson.
The Association’s tribute to Sir Ivor is here.
Sir Ivor provided a characteristically careful and acute introductory address to the LEANZ Symposium on 16 September 2014 which is re-published here.
The Law and Economics Association of New Zealand (LEANZ) wishes to give notice to its members of its 2012 Annual General Meeting.
Venue: Kensington Swan, 89 The Terrace, Wellington (with a video link to Kensington Swan, 18 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland)
Nomination for 2012/13 Committee
Nominations are sought for the following positions on the LEANZ Executive Committee for 2012/2013:
• President
• Vice President (two positions available)
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Committee member (four positions available)
In addition to the elected Committee, the Committee may co-opt up to four non-elected members. The positions will be elected at the AGM. If you would like to make a nomination, please complete the form here and return it to the Secretary by post or fax (details below). The Secretary must receive your nomination no later than 5.00pm on Monday 28 May 2012.
Anna Parker
LEANZ Secretary
PO Box 2694
Wellington
Fax: 04 462 0858
The conference will now be held on the 28th & 29th of May at the InterContinental in Wellington.
See the upcoming conferences page for details.
LEANZ is now on Facebook! Search “Law and Economics Association New Zealand” and add us as a friend. The page contains updates, discussions and links to items of interest.
The Patron of the Law and Economics Association of New Zealand, Sir Ivor Richardson, former President of the Court of Appeal, presented Matthew Palmer, Deputy Solicitor-General (Public Law) with the certificate recording his admission as a Fellow of the Association at the Annual General Meeting of the Association on 28 June.
The prime requirement for Fellowship is the publication of at least 100,000 words which advance the study or understanding of law and economics issues in or with reference to New Zealand. Fellows may use the post-nominal LEANZF. Matthew Palmer has published a number of papers on ex-socialist economies and also written on economic analysis of constitutional institutions. Matthew Palmer was the founding Secretary of the Association in 1994.
Photo credit: Sally Wyatt
Professor Lew Evans, LEANZ Fellow, has been appointed an ONZM in the New Years Honours List for services to education.
Louis Norton’s entry was entitled: “Is Defensive Practice Defensible”
LEANZ recently held its Annual General Meeting on the 28th of June, 2011. The AGM was hosted by Russel McVeagh, with a video link to Auckland. After the AGM, Dr Russell Norman MP and Dr Jason Potts (University of Queensland) debated the utility of Happiness Indexes.
If you have content that would meet the content criteria below, email our Editor at [email protected]. Any publication is subject to the discretion of the Editor and will be in accordance with the LEANZ Corner editorial policy. To view the current policy, click the button below.
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Seminars, Webinars & Events happening in the Law & Economics Sector in New Zealand
$3,000 prize + discretionary $1,500 prize for a commendable runner-up We invite you to submit an academic essay that approaches a contemporary issue using a Law and Economics lens. The
“Plugging the gaps in consent: standard form contracts and their failings”. – Nicholas Howell from Auckland University
“Devicive”: Medical Device Regulation and the New Zealand Therapeutic Products Act 2023”. – Hugo Young from Victoria University
The winning essay this year was by James Sinclair titled Should the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Continue their Endeavours to Implement a Central Bank Digital Currency for Retail Application.
The winning entry this year was Nicholas Goldstein for his essay Five-Eyes, Spies, and International Ties: A Common Whistleblowing Regime. Runner up was Connor Browne, LIFE’S NOT FAIR, BUT PHARMAC
LEANZ received 24 entries to the essay competition in 2020, a record number of entries. The standard at the top end of the submissions was very high. The winning entry
LEANZ is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2019 LEANZ essay competition: Winner ($3,000 prize): Lauren Tyler-Harwood–“Achieving Water Security in the Waimea Plains” Runner-up (discretionary $1,500 prize): Riki Fujii-Rajani–“Can’t
LEANZ has awarded two scholarships of $10,000 each for overseas study of law and economics in the academic year 2013-2014. The Friedlander Foundation Scholarship, generously funded by the Friedlander Foundation,
The Law and Economics Association of New Zealand today expresses its sadness at the death its inaugural Patron Sir Ivor Richardson. The Association’s tribute to Sir Ivor is here. Sir
The Law and Economics Association of New Zealand (LEANZ) wishes to give notice to its members of its 2012 Annual General Meeting.
The conference will now be held on the 28th & 29th of May at the InterContinental in Wellington. See the upcoming conferences page for details.
LEANZ is now on Facebook! Search “Law and Economics Association New Zealand” and add us as a friend. The page contains updates, discussions and links to items of interest.
The Patron of the Law and Economics Association of New Zealand, Sir Ivor Richardson, former President of the Court of Appeal, presented Matthew Palmer, Deputy Solicitor-General (Public Law) with the
Professor Lew Evans, LEANZ Fellow, has been appointed an ONZM in the New Years Honours List for services to education. Louis Norton’s entry was entitled: “Is Defensive Practice Defensible”
LEANZ recently held its Annual General Meeting on the 28th of June, 2011. The AGM was hosted by Russel McVeagh, with a video link to Auckland. After the AGM, Dr
