LAWS319-16S1 (C) Semester One 2016

Environmental Law, Conservation and the Public Interest

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 22 February 2016
End Date: Sunday, 26 June 2016
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Friday, 4 March 2016
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Friday, 20 May 2016

Description

The law governing the Department of Conservation and its duties, powers and role, and the Ministry for the Environment, and the Treaty of Waitangi as it bears on these; historic places, public recreational and access issues, fish and game matters, pastoral leases, indigenous forest management, biosecurity, hazardous substances and new organisms and commercial fisheries.

The ever-changing Resource Management Act is only one of the statutes, although certainly among the most important, dealing with what we might loosely call environmental issues.  A very considerable body of law deals with the administration and activities of government departments (most notably the Department of Conservation and the Ministry for the Environment) and significant public or semi-public entities such as Fish and Game Councils, the Walking Access Commission, Historic Places Trust and Queen Elizabeth II National Trust.

This course will cover these bodies as well as examining other areas of law where there is a public interest of one sort or another; in particular fisheries, Crown pastoral leases (administered by the Commissioner of Crown Lands), the new Environmental Protection authority, the Biosecurity Act and Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act, and the Forests Amendment Act 1993 (which deals with the management of privately-owned indigenous forests).  The course will also consider the environmental implications of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Learning Outcomes

Students will achieve an understanding of the legal basis of the limitations upon environmental administration and knowledge of the wide variety of matters administered.

Prerequisites

(i) LAWS101;  and (ii) LAWS110

Restrictions

LAWS304; LAWS376 (2005)

Co-requisites

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

David Round

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Essay 20 May 2016 35%
Optional Field Trip
Final Examination 65%


The assessment for this course will be advised in the first week of lectures but will involve an essay and a final exam.

Textbooks / Resources

There is no set text.  Students will be expected to have access to the relevant statutes.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $759.00

International fee $3,450.00

* 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.

For further information see Faculty of Law .

All LAWS319 Occurrences

  • LAWS319-16S1 (C) Semester One 2016
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