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19 July 2005Speech Notes
Address to Wellington District Law SocietyBuddle Finlay Offices, State Insurance Tower, 1 Willis St, Wellington

Thoughts on the role of Attorney General

It is with great pleasure and pride that I, as Attorney-General on behalf of the Government, appear before Your Honours today to mark this historic occasion, the first sitting of the Supreme Court, the new final appeal court for New Zealand.

When I came to prepare for this conference I discovered that I had little personal memory of this period and that those who have written about it tend not to mention the Party, only the Parliamentary Party. I was therefore forced to refer to my own essay “Labour in Government 1984-1987”, which was an attempt to try and explain the role of the Party during that period and its relationship to its government from my perspective as Party president at that time.

My topic is the importance of law reform agencies, particularly in respect of their contribution to policy development.

Margaret Wilson reflects on the government's achievments half way through its second term in office, and looks ahead to the third term

Some Observations on the Evolution of New Zealand's Constitution

Attorney General Margaret Wilson spoke in the final reading and passing into law of the Supreme Court Bill

The tradition of the Suffrage Day Breakfast provides us all with the opportunity to reflect on the lives of those who struggled for women to have the right to vote.

It is with great pleasure that I speak on behalf of the Government at this special sitting to commemorate the opening of this refurbished courthouse. At the opening ceremony this morning, in my capacity as Minister for Courts, I spoke of the history of this court and its buildings.

It establishes our final appellate court here, in New Zealand, for the first time. This means that after 162 years we will take responsibility for the determination of our own laws, both through Parliament and now through the Courts.

The Swearing-in Of Judge Malosi To the Family Court In Manukau on 24 September 2002

It is my great pleasure to represent the Prime Minister here today and to have the honour of opening this conference. I must confess to having something of a soft spot for librarians … at one time I considered entering the profession myself before taking up the law instead.

I regard the website as a real e-technology milestone. For the first time, the New Zealand public will have free access to an up-to-date version of New Zealand Acts and Statutory Regulations in an electronic form.