Common Grounds – New Zealand & América Latina
Victoria’s Faculty of Law recently played host to nine experts from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Uruguay for a one-day symposium on Latin America.
Victoria’s Faculty of Law recently played host to nine experts from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Uruguay for a one-day symposium on Latin America. The symposium, sponsored by the Law Foundation, was organised by Joel Colon-Rios, Associate Professor Petra Butler and Professor Richard Boast QC with the assistance of Rozina Khan.
Common Grounds – New Zealand & América Latina offered participants a deeper understanding of the legal history, constitutional arrangements and commercial culture of a region that is becoming increasingly significant to the New Zealand economy. The papers were complemented by a discussion by New Zealand experts in the respective fields and was attended by lawyers, academics, postgraduate students, the Latin America New Zealand Business Council President Matthew O'Meagher and Director Brendan Mahar as well as the ambassadors of Brazil and Chile.
Associate Professor Petra Butler, one of the symposium organisers, said that with a population expected to reach 625 million this year, and an increasingly democratic political landscape, Latin America was set to develop into an economic powerhouse.
“Connections between New Zealand and Latin America are rapidly expanding and diversifying, and in dealing with any culture, an understanding of its law, legal system and legal culture is a vital component of successful political and commercial engagement.”
The symposium provided a rare opportunity to draw on synergies between private and public law, starting with an economic historical overview and comparison between New Zealand and Uruguay from Jorge Alvarez. This was followed by a discussion led by Professor Roberto Gargarella, Professor Gonzalo Ramirez Cleves and Professor Javier Couso, of who in a state was the engine of a constitution, constitutionalism at the time of peace, and the role of socio-economic rights. The focus then shifted to “doing business in Brazil” with insights from Adriana Braghetta, Professor Paolo Nalin and Fabiano Deffenti. The symposium concluded with a discussion by Felipe Michelini and Cesar Pereira on the Philip Morris v Uruguay arbitration and the issues that corruption poses in South America.