On today’s episode of the Law Down Under Podcast, we are joined by Susan Barker.
Sue Barker is the director of Sue Barker Charities Law, an award-winning boutique law firm in Wellington specialising in charities law and public tax law, which she founded in 2012. Sue is internationally recognised as a Charity Law scholar and is a director of the Charity Law Association of Australia and New Zealand.
Sue is the author of the recently published (May 2025) Taxation of Charities in Aotearoa New Zealand and one of the co-authors, The Law and Practice of Charities in Aotearoa New Zealand, now in its second edition and published in 2024. In 2019, she was awarded the New Zealand Law Foundation International Research Fellowship Te Karahipi Rangahau ā Taiao, New Zealand’s premier legal research award, for her project “What does a world-leading framework of charities law look like?” Her landmark report, Focus on purpose, released in April 2022, made 70 recommendations for charities law reform in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Sue’s expertise is regularly sought by the media and charities of all shapes, sizes and missions. She is a member of Charities Services’ Sector Group and the Core Reference Group for the Government’s review of the Charities Act 2005. She has played a leading role in advocating for an independent, first-principles review of the Charities Act, and her work is widely cited in sector reform discussions.
We spoke with Sue about her career and discussed all things about charity law, including its future in New Zealand.
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E33 Commercial Remedies - With Dr Katy Barnett
On today’s episode of the Law Down Under Podcast, we are joined by Dr Katy Barnett. Dr Katy Barnett is a Professor of Law at Melbourne Law School and is widely recognised as a leading authority in several areas, including the law of remedies. She joined Melbourne Law School in 2006 and was appointed permanently in 2010, following earlier roles as a research assistant at the Victorian Court of Appeal and as an associate to Justice Mandie at the Supreme Court of Victoria. Katy’s PhD focused on accounts of profit for breach of contract and has been cited by the Supreme Court of Canada.
We discuss a relatively new and evolving area of commercial remedies relating to negotiation damages. We briefly touch on the more established concept of “user damages” in tort when contrasting the law’s remedial approach in contract claims involving no economic loss. During this episode, Dr Barnett takes us from the development of Wrotham Park damages to the United Kingdom Supreme Court’s decision in Morris-Garner and beyond. Given five decades of an inconsistent and complex legal landscape in this area, we tackle the question of what approach an Australian or New Zealand court might take in light of Morris-Garner and whether a coherent statement of principle is possible. I hope you will enjoy this discussion with Dr Katy Barnett.
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E32 Litigants in Person - With Martin Dillon
On episode 32 of the Law Down Under Podcast, we are joined by Martin Dillon, a litigation specialist based in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Martin has an arts degree in philosophy, and his studies focus on ethics. In addition to his private client work, he is also an approved legal aid provider. Martin published CourtKeys.com , which is an access to justice project he launched in 2013 involving a website which answers many frequently asked questions about law and legal processes. He has received awards for innovations in access to justice at the APAC Legal Awards in 2022 and the Lawyer International Legal 100 Awards in 2023.
Martin is the author of Civil Litigation for Non-Lawyers , published by The Legal Drive in 2021. It provides information about how to run a civil Court case in New Zealand. It includes guidance on how to commence a claim in the District Court and the High Court, including what information is needed for particular documents.
We discuss several topics, from philosophy to the composition of the New Zealand Rules Committee and everything in between. The key focus of our discussion is access to justice, including how the legal profession and the Courts can assist lay litigants (non-lawyers) to use the justice system more efficiently.
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E31 Construction Law – With Michael Weatherall
On today’s episode, we interview Michael Weatherall, an expert in construction law and dispute resolution. Michael has worked for Simpson Grierson since 1997, where he is now a partner and heads their construction law team.
Michael has specialist expertise in virtually all areas of construction law. Before joining Simpson Grierson in 1997, he worked for the largest construction law firm in the UK. His first career was as a structural engineer and project manager with Beca. He remains a Chartered Professional Engineer.
Michael is a past President of the New Zealand Society of Construction Law, and is a current member of the Standards New Zealand Committee which drafted the NZS3910:2023 Standard Conditions of Contract for Construction and Engineering Projects. He is also co-author of Kennedy-Grant and Weatherall on Construction Law in New Zealand”, the country’s leading practitioner text.
We talk to Michael about all things construction law, including contracts and dispute resolution processes. I hope you enjoy this episode with Michael Weatherall.
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E30 Cross Examination - With Larry Pozner
On today’s episode of the Law Down Under Podcast, we interview Larry Pozner, an internationally renowned expert on cross-examination. A veteran criminal defence trial lawyer, Larry has achieved success as counsel in several high-profile cases and represented major American organizations such as the American Insurance Group and the Denver Broncos.
Larry began his career as a public defender in Colorado and went on to found two firms specializing in criminal defence and civil litigation. He taught at the University of Denver College of Law, where he was voted Best Professor, and has since held programs on trial tactics throughout the US, Canada and Brazil.
He was recognised as Lawyer of the Year for Denver Criminal Defence (Non-White Collar) by The Best Lawyers in America, and has been listed in the publication since 1987.
Today, we have the privilege of hosting Larry on the podcast while he is in New Zealand to present his revolutionary seminar on cross examination. We talk with Larry about his illustrious career which spans more than five decades, as well as the latest edition of his book, ‘Cross Examination: Science and Techniques’, which was co-authored with expert trial attorney Roger Dodd. I hope you enjoy this episode with Larry Pozner.
The Law Down Under Podcast with Barrister Chris Patterson, where we give you insights into the law in New Zealand and Australia, its application and future. Each episode features a new guest who will stimulate your interest in the law and give you a greater understanding of the legal issues that help shape our justice system. We thank you for tuning in and enjoy the podcast.
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