A governmental response to an emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic needs flexibility, but it is also important that the rule of law is maintained, and that when public officers purport to exercise public powers, they are sure of their ability to do so. From the perspective of someone outside government, this has not always been …
Without so much as a bang or even a whimper, New Zealand essentially became a socialist state at 11.59pm on Wednesday 25 March 2020. We’d been primed, given time to plan and get back home in time for the lockdown we all hope will win the war against COVID-19. People are confined to their homes, …
New Zealand has changed dramatically in a week in response to Covid-19. Fundamental rights and liberties have been curtailed to assist in suppressing the virus. From a legal history perspective, this is similar to what New Zealand experienced in World Wars One and Two and during the 1951 Waterfront Dispute. It is unclear how long …