LAWS204-25W (C) Whole Year 2025

The Law of Torts

30 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 17 February 2025
End Date: Sunday, 9 November 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 16 March 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 24 August 2025

Description

General principles of civil liability. The law as to the various kinds of torts. The law relating to compensation for personal injury by accident in New Zealand.

The law of torts potentially concerns the entire range of misfortunes, injuries and losses which human beings can blame on one another.  It determines whether, or in what circumstances, a person who has caused harm to another is liable to compensate that other for the harm.  The course will provide a thorough grounding in the core principles of this key area of law.

A substantial part of the course will concentrate on the law of negligence.  It will deal with general principles and will focus in particular on such important issues as liability for mental injury, for economic loss and for failing to act, and will consider issues of breach of duty, complex problems of proving causation and remoteness of damage.  The course will also cover various other torts.  These include trespass to land, nuisance, the rule in Rylands v Fletcher, defamation and interference with privacy.  

Torts claims in New Zealand are not much concerned with claims for personal injury, as these generally are barred by the Accident Compensation Act 2001.  The principles of the common law are subject to the Act, and accordingly the course will consider the ambit of the accident compensation scheme and the statutory benefits which are available in replacement of the common law action.

Learning Outcomes

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award

Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.

Prerequisites

Co-requisites

Timetable 2025

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 11:00 - 12:00 K1 Lecture Theatre
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun
14 Jul - 24 Aug
8 Sep - 19 Oct
Lecture B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Thursday 13:00 - 15:00 A1 Lecture Theatre (20/2-3/4, 1/5-29/5)
K1 Lecture Theatre (17/7-21/8, 11/9-16/10)
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun
14 Jul - 24 Aug
8 Sep - 19 Oct
Tutorial A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 14:00 - 15:00 Psychology - Sociology 210 (3/3, 17/3, 12/5)
Rehua 529 (28/7, 11/8, 22/9, 6/10)
3 Mar - 9 Mar
17 Mar - 23 Mar
12 May - 18 May
28 Jul - 3 Aug
11 Aug - 17 Aug
22 Sep - 28 Sep
6 Oct - 12 Oct
02 Tuesday 12:00 - 13:00 John Britten 117 HP Seminar Room (4/3, 18/3)
Rehua 329 (13/5, 12/8, 23/9)
Meremere 526 (29/7, 7/10)
3 Mar - 9 Mar
17 Mar - 23 Mar
12 May - 18 May
28 Jul - 3 Aug
11 Aug - 17 Aug
22 Sep - 28 Sep
6 Oct - 12 Oct
03 Tuesday 13:00 - 14:00 John Britten 117 HP Seminar Room (4/3, 18/3)
Rehua 329 (13/5, 12/8, 23/9)
Meremere 526 (29/7, 7/10)
3 Mar - 9 Mar
17 Mar - 23 Mar
12 May - 18 May
28 Jul - 3 Aug
11 Aug - 17 Aug
22 Sep - 28 Sep
6 Oct - 12 Oct
04 Wednesday 10:00 - 11:00 Jack Erskine 111 (5/3, 14/5)
Ernest Rutherford 260 (19/3)
Jack Erskine 443 (30/7)
Rehua 329 (13/8, 24/9)
Jack Erskine 101 (8/10)
3 Mar - 9 Mar
17 Mar - 23 Mar
12 May - 18 May
28 Jul - 3 Aug
11 Aug - 17 Aug
22 Sep - 28 Sep
6 Oct - 12 Oct
05 Wednesday 11:00 - 12:00 Jack Erskine 111 (5/3, 14/5)
Ernest Rutherford 225 (19/3)
Jack Erskine 443 (30/7)
Rehua 329 (13/8, 24/9)
Jack Erskine 101 (8/10)
3 Mar - 9 Mar
17 Mar - 23 Mar
12 May - 18 May
28 Jul - 3 Aug
11 Aug - 17 Aug
22 Sep - 28 Sep
6 Oct - 12 Oct
06 Wednesday 14:00 - 15:00 Psychology - Sociology 251 (5/3, 19/3, 14/5)
Elsie Locke 104A (30/7, 13/8, 24/9)
Jack Erskine 445 (8/10)
3 Mar - 9 Mar
17 Mar - 23 Mar
12 May - 18 May
28 Jul - 3 Aug
11 Aug - 17 Aug
22 Sep - 28 Sep
6 Oct - 12 Oct
07 Wednesday 15:00 - 16:00 Psychology - Sociology 251 (5/3, 19/3, 14/5)
Elsie Locke 104A (30/7, 13/8, 24/9)
Jack Erskine 445 (8/10)
3 Mar - 9 Mar
17 Mar - 23 Mar
12 May - 18 May
28 Jul - 3 Aug
11 Aug - 17 Aug
22 Sep - 28 Sep
6 Oct - 12 Oct
10 Monday 14:00 - 15:00 Psychology - Sociology 210 (10/3, 24/3, 19/5)
Rehua 529 (4/8, 18/8, 29/9, 13/10)
10 Mar - 16 Mar
24 Mar - 30 Mar
19 May - 25 May
4 Aug - 10 Aug
18 Aug - 24 Aug
29 Sep - 5 Oct
13 Oct - 19 Oct
11 Tuesday 12:00 - 13:00 John Britten 117 HP Seminar Room (11/3, 25/3)
Rehua 003 Music (20/5, 5/8)
Rehua 329 (19/8, 30/9)
Meremere 526 (14/10)
10 Mar - 16 Mar
24 Mar - 30 Mar
19 May - 25 May
4 Aug - 10 Aug
18 Aug - 24 Aug
29 Sep - 5 Oct
13 Oct - 19 Oct
12 Tuesday 13:00 - 14:00 John Britten 117 HP Seminar Room (11/3, 25/3)
Rehua 003 Music (20/5, 5/8)
Rehua 329 (19/8, 30/9)
Meremere 526 (14/10)
10 Mar - 16 Mar
24 Mar - 30 Mar
19 May - 25 May
4 Aug - 10 Aug
18 Aug - 24 Aug
29 Sep - 5 Oct
13 Oct - 19 Oct
13 Wednesday 10:00 - 11:00 Ernest Rutherford 260 (12/3, 26/3, 21/5)
Rehua 329 (6/8, 20/8, 1/10)
Jack Erskine 101 (15/10)
10 Mar - 16 Mar
24 Mar - 30 Mar
19 May - 25 May
4 Aug - 10 Aug
18 Aug - 24 Aug
29 Sep - 5 Oct
13 Oct - 19 Oct
14 Wednesday 11:00 - 12:00 Ernest Rutherford 260 (12/3, 26/3)
Ernest Rutherford 225 (21/5)
Rehua 329 (6/8, 20/8, 1/10)
Jack Erskine 101 (15/10)
10 Mar - 16 Mar
24 Mar - 30 Mar
19 May - 25 May
4 Aug - 10 Aug
18 Aug - 24 Aug
29 Sep - 5 Oct
13 Oct - 19 Oct
15 Wednesday 14:00 - 15:00 Psychology - Sociology 213 (12/3)
Psychology - Sociology 413 (26/3, 21/5)
Rehua 529 (6/8, 20/8, 1/10, 15/10)
10 Mar - 16 Mar
24 Mar - 30 Mar
19 May - 25 May
4 Aug - 10 Aug
18 Aug - 24 Aug
29 Sep - 5 Oct
13 Oct - 19 Oct
16 Wednesday 15:00 - 16:00 Psychology - Sociology 251 (12/3)
Psychology - Sociology 413 (26/3, 21/5)
Rehua 529 (6/8, 20/8, 1/10, 15/10)
10 Mar - 16 Mar
24 Mar - 30 Mar
19 May - 25 May
4 Aug - 10 Aug
18 Aug - 24 Aug
29 Sep - 5 Oct
13 Oct - 19 Oct

Timetable Note

Tutorials  will be held according to the timetable you will be given at the start of Term One.
Enrolment in Tutorials will be advised via email closer to the start of the course.

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Stephen Todd

Lecturer

Ursula Cheer

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Mid-Year Test 30%
Essay 02 Aug 2024 20%
Final Examination 50%


Assessment may include a Test, compulsory Essay and a Final Examination.

The assessment will be confirmed in the first week of lectures.

Textbooks / Resources

Recommended Reading

Todd, Stephen et al; Todd on torts ; 9th edition; Thomson Reuters, 2023 (Forthcoming).

Notes

This is a compulsory core course for the LLB degree.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,893.00

International fee $9,700.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

Limited Entry Course

Maximum enrolment is 335

For further information see Faculty of Law .

All LAWS204 Occurrences

  • LAWS204-25W (C) Whole Year 2025