LAWS204-26W (C) Whole Year 2026

The Law of Torts

30 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 16 February 2026
End Date: Sunday, 8 November 2026
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 15 March 2026
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 23 August 2026

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 2026

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 11:00 - 12:00 K1 Lecture Theatre
16 Feb - 29 Mar
20 Apr - 31 May
13 Jul - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 18 Oct
Lecture B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Thursday 13:00 - 15:00 K1 Lecture Theatre
16 Feb - 29 Mar
20 Apr - 31 May
13 Jul - 23 Aug
7 Sep - 18 Oct
Tutorial A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 14:00 - 15:00 Jack Erskine 121
2 Mar - 8 Mar
16 Mar - 22 Mar
11 May - 17 May
27 Jul - 2 Aug
10 Aug - 16 Aug
21 Sep - 27 Sep
5 Oct - 11 Oct
02 Tuesday 13:00 - 14:00 Jack Erskine 240 (3/3, 17/3, 12/5)
Rehua 529 (28/7, 11/8, 22/9, 6/10)
2 Mar - 8 Mar
16 Mar - 22 Mar
11 May - 17 May
27 Jul - 2 Aug
10 Aug - 16 Aug
21 Sep - 27 Sep
5 Oct - 11 Oct
03 Wednesday 13:00 - 14:00 Meremere 526 (4/3)
Rehua 102 (18/3)
Ernest Rutherford 460 (13/5)
Rehua 103 Project Workshop (29/7, 12/8, 23/9, 7/10)
2 Mar - 8 Mar
16 Mar - 22 Mar
11 May - 17 May
27 Jul - 2 Aug
10 Aug - 16 Aug
21 Sep - 27 Sep
5 Oct - 11 Oct
04 Wednesday 10:00 - 11:00 Ernest Rutherford 460 (4/3, 29/7, 12/8)
Rehua 102 (18/3)
Rehua 009 (13/5)
Rehua 329 (23/9, 7/10)
2 Mar - 8 Mar
16 Mar - 22 Mar
11 May - 17 May
27 Jul - 2 Aug
10 Aug - 16 Aug
21 Sep - 27 Sep
5 Oct - 11 Oct
05 Thursday 11:00 - 12:00 Rehua 003 Music (5/3, 30/7, 13/8, 24/9, 8/10)
Rehua 528 (19/3, 14/5)
2 Mar - 8 Mar
16 Mar - 22 Mar
11 May - 17 May
27 Jul - 2 Aug
10 Aug - 16 Aug
21 Sep - 27 Sep
5 Oct - 11 Oct
06 Tuesday 15:00 - 16:00 Rehua 702 (3/3, 17/3, 12/5)
Rehua 528 (28/7, 11/8, 22/9, 6/10)
2 Mar - 8 Mar
16 Mar - 22 Mar
11 May - 17 May
27 Jul - 2 Aug
10 Aug - 16 Aug
21 Sep - 27 Sep
5 Oct - 11 Oct
07 Wednesday 15:00 - 16:00 Karl Popper 105 (4/3, 13/5, 29/7)
Rehua 102 (18/3)
Meremere 526 (12/8, 23/9, 7/10)
2 Mar - 8 Mar
16 Mar - 22 Mar
11 May - 17 May
27 Jul - 2 Aug
10 Aug - 16 Aug
21 Sep - 27 Sep
5 Oct - 11 Oct
08 Thursday 16:00 - 17:00 Meremere 526
2 Mar - 8 Mar
16 Mar - 22 Mar
11 May - 17 May
27 Jul - 2 Aug
10 Aug - 16 Aug
21 Sep - 27 Sep
5 Oct - 11 Oct
09 Monday 16:00 - 17:00 James Logie 104
2 Mar - 8 Mar
16 Mar - 22 Mar
11 May - 17 May
27 Jul - 2 Aug
10 Aug - 16 Aug
21 Sep - 27 Sep
5 Oct - 11 Oct
10 Tuesday 11:00 - 12:00 Rehua 003 Music (10/3, 24/3, 19/5)
Rehua 329 (4/8, 18/8, 29/9, 13/10)
9 Mar - 15 Mar
23 Mar - 29 Mar
18 May - 24 May
3 Aug - 9 Aug
17 Aug - 23 Aug
28 Sep - 4 Oct
12 Oct - 18 Oct
11 Friday 14:00 - 15:00 Rehua 329 (13/3, 22/5)
Jack Erskine 443 (27/3)
Karl Popper 105 (7/8)
Rehua 528 (21/8, 2/10, 16/10)
9 Mar - 15 Mar
23 Mar - 29 Mar
18 May - 24 May
3 Aug - 9 Aug
17 Aug - 23 Aug
28 Sep - 4 Oct
12 Oct - 18 Oct
12 Friday 16:00 - 17:00 Rehua 329
9 Mar - 15 Mar
23 Mar - 29 Mar
18 May - 24 May
3 Aug - 9 Aug
17 Aug - 23 Aug
28 Sep - 4 Oct
12 Oct - 18 Oct
13 Thursday 15:00 - 16:00 Karl Popper 105 (12/3)
Rehua 528 (26/3)
Meremere 526 (21/5, 6/8, 20/8, 1/10, 15/10)
9 Mar - 15 Mar
23 Mar - 29 Mar
18 May - 24 May
3 Aug - 9 Aug
17 Aug - 23 Aug
28 Sep - 4 Oct
12 Oct - 18 Oct
14 Thursday 09:00 - 10:00 Rehua 329 (12/3, 26/3)
Rehua 528 (21/5, 6/8)
Rehua 003 Music (20/8)
Rehua 529 (1/10, 15/10)
9 Mar - 15 Mar
23 Mar - 29 Mar
18 May - 24 May
3 Aug - 9 Aug
17 Aug - 23 Aug
28 Sep - 4 Oct
12 Oct - 18 Oct
15 Tuesday 09:00 - 10:00 Meremere 526
9 Mar - 15 Mar
23 Mar - 29 Mar
18 May - 24 May
3 Aug - 9 Aug
17 Aug - 23 Aug
28 Sep - 4 Oct
12 Oct - 18 Oct
16 Friday 15:00 - 16:00 Meremere 526
9 Mar - 15 Mar
23 Mar - 29 Mar
18 May - 24 May
3 Aug - 9 Aug
17 Aug - 23 Aug
28 Sep - 4 Oct
12 Oct - 18 Oct
17 Monday 09:00 - 10:00 Rehua 329 (9/3, 23/3, 18/5)
Meremere 526 (3/8, 17/8, 28/9, 12/10)
9 Mar - 15 Mar
23 Mar - 29 Mar
18 May - 24 May
3 Aug - 9 Aug
17 Aug - 23 Aug
28 Sep - 4 Oct
12 Oct - 18 Oct
18 Wednesday 09:00 - 10:00 Rehua 102 (11/3)
Rehua 529 (25/3, 5/8, 19/8, 30/9, 14/10)
Ernest Rutherford 460 (20/5)
9 Mar - 15 Mar
23 Mar - 29 Mar
18 May - 24 May
3 Aug - 9 Aug
17 Aug - 23 Aug
28 Sep - 4 Oct
12 Oct - 18 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

Mark Hanna

Lecturer

Ursula Cheer

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Mid-Year Test 20%
Assignment 31 Jul 2026 30%
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).

Course links

Library portal

Notes

This is a compulsory core course for the LLB degree.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $2,006.00

International fee $10,075.00

* 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 340

For further information see Faculty of Law .

All LAWS204 Occurrences

  • LAWS204-26W (C) Whole Year 2026