Individuals
Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer
Chen Palmer & partners - Wellington
Research Interests:
Law
Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer now practises law at Public Law Specialists, Chen Palmer & Partners, specialising in constitutional law and administrative law litigation. He has written and taught extensively in the field of international environmental law, and serves as New Zealand’s Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission. Other areas of research and publication include human rights, open government, relations between the courts and the government, accident compensation, and privacy.
Publications:
Books and Monographs
Constitutional Conversations – Geoffrey Palmer talks to Kim Hill on National Radio 1994-2001 (Victoria University Press, Wellington, 2002)
[With Dr Matthew Palmer] Bridled Power: New Zealand Government under MMP (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1997)
"Parliament" in The Laws of New Zealand (Butterworths, Wellington, 1996)
Environment – The International Challenge (Victoria University Press, Wellington, 1995)
[With Lakshman Guruswamy and Burns Weston] International Environmental Law and World Order (West Publishing Company, 1994) Supplement of Basic Documents (2 ed, West Publishing Company, 1998)
Public Law in New Zealand: Cases, Materials, Commentary and Questions (with Mai Chen), Oxford University Press, 1993, 1016 pages.
New Zealand’s Constitution in Crisis: Reforming our Political System John McIndoe, 1992, 231 pages.
Environmental Politics: A Greenprint for New Zealand John McIndoe, 1990, 152 pages.
Unbridled Power, An Interpretation of New Zealand’s Constitution and Government, 2nd ed, Oxford University Press, 1987, 322 pages.
Compensation for Incapacity: A Study of Law and Social Change in New Zealand and Australia Wellington: Oxford University Press, 1979, 460 pages.
The Welfare State Today (edited and contributed) Wellington: Fourth Estate Books, 1977, 551 pages.
Tort in Transition: A New Zealand Collection of Cases and Materials on Tort in the Accident Compensation Era (with R S Clark and P D McKenzie) Fourth Estate Books, 1976, 474 pages.
Articles in Law Reviews and Scholarly Journals and Chapters in Books
"MMP and Journalism" in Judy McGregor and Margie Comrie (eds) What’s News?: Reclaiming Journalism in New Zealand, (Dunmore Press, 2002) 175, 10 pages.
"Westco Lagan v Attorney-General" [2001] New Zealand Law Journal 163, 6 pages
"The Provision of Legal Services to Government" (2000) 31 Victoria University of Wellington Law Review 65, 11 pages.
"The Evolution of a Legal System" (2000) 31 Victoria University of Wellington Law Review 75, 12 pages.
"Human Rights in Practice" in Human Rights: Good Governance and Civil Society (National Commission on Human Rights, Jakarta, 2000) 53, 13 pages.
"Deficiencies in New Zealand Delegated Legislation" (1999) 30 Victoria University of Wellington Law Review 1, 47 pages.
"International Law and the Reform of the International Court of Justice" in A. Anghie and G. Sturgess (des.), Legal Visions of the 21st Century: Essays in Honour of Judge Christopher Weeramantry (1998), pages 579-600, 22 pages.
"Human Rights and the New Zealand Government’s Treaty Obligations" 4 Yearbook 1998, New Zealand Association for Comparative Law 57, 17 pages
"Judicial Selection and Accountability: Can the New Zealand System Survive?" in B D Gray and R B McClintock (editors) in Courts and Policy - Checking the Balance (Brookers 1995 and Chapters in Books), 89 pages.
"The Design of Compensation Systems: Tort Principles Rule, O.K.?" 29 Valparaiso Law Review 1115-1169 (1995), 54 pages.
"New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Scheme: Twenty Years On," 44 University of Toronto Law Journal 223-273 (1994), 50 pages.
"Parliament and Privilege: Whose Justice" [1994] New Zealand Law Journal 325-329, 5 pages.
"The New Zealand Experience," in International Workshop - Beyond Compensation: Dealing with Accidents in the 21st Century", 15 University of Hawaii Law Review 604-620 (1993), 16 pages.
"Lawyer as Lobbyist: The Role of Lawyers in Influencing and Managing Change" [1993] New Zealand Law Journal 93, 10 pages.
"The Earth Summit: What Went Wrong at Rio?" 70 Washington University Law Quarterly 1005 (1992), 23 pages.
"An International Regime for Environmental Protection" 42 Journal of Urban and Contemporary Law 5 (1992), 14 pages.
"Sustainability - New Zealand’s Resource Management Legislation" in Monique Ross and J Owen Saunders, Growing Demands on a Shrinking Heritage: Managing Resource-Use Conflicts 408 (1992), 20 pages.
"The Implications of Climate Change for International Law and Institutions" 2 Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems 1 (1992), 53 pages.
"New Way to Make International Environmental Law" 86 American Journal of International Law 259 (1992), 25 pages.
"The New Public Law: Its Province and Function" 22 Victoria University of Wellington Law Review 1 (1992), 22 pages.
"Another Way of Skinning a Rabbit" 48 Washington and Lee Law Review, 447 (1991), 5 pages.
"Living History Interview" in Symposium: The United States Commitment to International Law, 1 Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems 241 (1991), 18 pages.
"New Zealand and Australia beyond CER" 1 Public Law Review 203 (1990), 11 pages.
"Proposals for a Data Privacy Protection Act" 24 New Zealand Libraries No 4, 4 (1990), 5 pages.
"The Reform of the Crimes Act 1961" 20 Victoria University of Wellington Law Review 9 (1990), 13 pages.
"Treaty of Waitangi: Principles for Crown Action" 19 Victoria University of Wellington Law Review 335 (1989), 11 pages.
"Judiciary Retirement of Rt Hon Sir Ronald Davison, CBE, CMG" New Zealand Law Journal 84 (1989), 2 pages.
"Settlement of International Disputes: The "Rainbow Warrior Affair" Commonwealth Law Bulletin 585 (1989), 14 pages.
"Resource Management and Law Reform: Leading the World in Environmental Legislation: Part 1" 25 New Zealand and Local Government No 3, 11 (1989), 2 pages.
"Defamation: An Overview" in Media Law (papers presented at a Legal Research Foundation Inc Seminar in Auckland, 1979) Auckland Legal Research Foundation 9 (1988), 7 pages.
"New Zealand Law Society Closing Session: New Zealand’s Legal Identity" New Zealand Law Journal 314 (1987), 2 pages.
"The New Zealand Legislative Machine" 17 Victoria University of Wellington Law Review 285 (1987), 22 pages.
"Systematic Development of the Law: The Function of the Law Commission" New Zealand Law Journal 104 (1986), 3 pages.
"International Law in the Foreign Policy State" 16 Victoria University of Wellington Law Review 1 (1986), 9 pages.
"The Legislative Process and the Police" in Neil Cameron and Warren Young, (eds), Policing at the Cross Road, Wellington, Allen & Unwin, 1986, 21 pages.
"Directions for State Enterprise" in M Clark and E Sinclair (eds), Purpose, Performance and Profit: Redefining the Public Sector, 1986, 11 pages.
"The Growing Irrelevance of the Civil Courts" 5 The Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice 327 (1985), 25 pages.
"The Problems of Becoming Government" 8 Public Sector No 1.2 27 (June 1985), 2 pages.
"Implementing Open Government" [1985] New Zealand Law Journal 46, 4 pages.
"The Public and the Courts - A Parliamentary Perspective" [1984] New Zealand Law Journal 258, 4 pages.
"The Separation of Powers in 1984" [1984] New Zealand Law Journal 178, 3 pages.
"What Happened to the Woodhouse Report?" [1981] New Zealand Law Journal 561, 12 pages.
"Defamation and Privacy Down Under" 64 Iowa Law Review 1209 (1979), 33 pages.
"Social Engineering in New Zealand and the United States: A Comparison of Approaches to Tort Reform" 4 William Mitchell Law Review 315 (1978), 17 pages.
"Accident Compensation in New Zealand: The First Two Years" 23 American Journal of Comparative Law 1 (1977), 45 pages.
"New Zealand and the Glorious Revolution" [1976] New Zealand Law Journal 265, 4 pages.
"The Courts are Open" [1976] New Zealand Law Journal 289, 2 pages.
"Lump Sum Payments Under Accident Compensation" New Zealand Law Journal 368 (1976), 8 pages.
"The Constitution and Michael Minogue" [1976] New Zealand Law Journal 481, 3 pages.
"Inspired Tinkering Versus Holistic Social Engineering: Jeffrey O’Connell and the American Tort System" 25 Drake Law Review 893 (1976), 7 pages.
"Compensation for Personal Injury: A Requiem for the Common Law in New Zealand", and "Accidents, Sickness and Compensation: The Directions of Social Welfare in Australia" in J O’Connell and R C Henderson, Tort Law, No-Fault and Beyond, New York: Matthew Bender, 1975, 10 pages and 22 pages.
"Dangerous Products and the Consumer in New Zealand" [1975] New Zealand Law Journal 366, 29 pages.
"Compensating Criminals" [1975] New Zealand Law Journal 608, 4 pages.
"Privacy and the Law" [1975] New Zealand Law Journal 747, 10 pages. A public lecture delivered to a Victoria University of Wellington Symposium on Computers, Records and Privacy.
"Compensation for Personal Injury: A Requiem for the Common Law in New Zealand" American Journal of Comparative Laws 1 (1973), 44 pages.
"Toward the Disappearance of Tort Law: New Zealand’s New Compensation Plan" with E Lemons, University of Illinois Law Forum 693 (1972), 50 pages.
"Torts in the Second Year - The Iowa Experience" 1 Torts and Retorts No 4-5, (1973).
"Politics and Defamation: A Case of Kiwi Humbug" New Zealand Law Journal 265 (1972), 6 pages.
"The Iowa Spring Gun Case: A Study in American Gothic" 56 Iowa Law Review 121 (1971), 32 pages.
"Adam Clayton Powell and John Wilkes" An Analogue from England for the Men in the Marble Palace" 56 Iowa Law Review 725 (1971), 47 pages.
"Abolishing the Personal Injury Tort System: The New Zealand Experience" 9 Alberta Law Review 169 (1971), 46 pages.
"New Zealand’s Overseas Trade" 3 Journal of World Trade Law 272 (1969), 37 pages.
"Personal Injury - A Commentary on the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Compensation for Personal Injury in New Zealand" with officials of the New Zealand Government, p 1, 173 pages, October 1969.
"A Bill of Rights for New Zealand" in K J Keith (ed), Essays on Human Rights, Sweet and Maxwell, 1968, 26 pages.
"Will Jurisprudence Become a Behavioural Science?" [1968] New Zealand Law Journal 204, 5 pages.
"The Admissibility of Judgments in Subsequent Proceedings" 3 New Zealand Universities Law Review 142 (1968).
Other Works
"Evaluation of the Law Commission, Report for the Attorney General April 2000.
"MMP, The Westminster System and Government in New Zealand" - Paper for New Zealand Law Society Seminars August 1995.
"Treaty of Waitangi Constitutional and Procedural Issues" (address by Rt Hon Geoffrey Palmer to the Wellington District Law Society), Wellington District Law Society, 1989.
"Reform of the Resource Management Statutes" from the Seventh International Conference of Chief Executives in Local Government: Conference Proceedings (John Gray, ed) Christchurch City Council, 1988, 10 pages.
Reports of the Committee on Flammable Fabrics to the Minister of Trade and Industry, October 1975.
"The Law of Torts in Iowa" 1972 Iowa State Bar Review School
"The View from Abroad, or the Evolution of New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Act of 1972" in Proceedings of 25th Annual Winter Meetings of the Industrial Relations Research Association held at Toronto, 1 December 1972.
Teaching Materials
Tort in Transition: Materials and Cases on the Compensations of Injuries University of Iowa, College of Law, 2 Volumes, 1-1300, (1972, 3rd ed. revised).
Conceptions of Property, 1969
Legal Method - An Introduction with D C Baldus, 1970."