Dame Sian Elias delivers Patron’s Lecture
Nearly 150 current and former students turned out to hear the Law Students’ Society’s Patron’s Lecture on 18 August, with Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias delivering a speech on the Magna Carta and its relevance to New Zealand Constitution.
Geordie Johnson, President of the Law Students’ Society said the lecture was a great opportunity for law students to get an insight into one of the most prominent legal minds in the New Zealand legal community.
"Dame Sian gave very frank responses to questions which were posed to her and it was fascinating to hear her thoughts on topics ranging from the role of Te Tiriti in New Zealand law making to whether or not New Zealand should have a written constitution."
The annual Patron's Lecture was formally founded in 2009 with the Law Student Society’s Patron either delivery a key note address or inviting a guest speaker from the profession. Previous speakers have included Justice McGrath from the Supreme Court, John Allen as Foreign Affairs and Trade CEO, Justice O'Regan as President of the Court of Appeal and the Hon Chris Finlayson in his capacity as Attorney-General.
Sir Geoffrey Palmer is the current Society Patron.