Roger Partridge is chairman and a co-founder of The New Zealand Initiative and is a senior member of its research team. He led law firm Bell Gully as executive chairman from 2007 to 2014, after 16 years as a commercial litigation partner. Roger was executive director of the Legal Research Foundation, a charitable foundation associated with the University of Auckland, from 2001 to 2009, and was a member of the Council of the New Zealand Law Society, the governing body of the legal profession in New Zealand, from 2011 to 2015. He is a chartered member of the Institute of Directors, a member of the University of Auckland Business School advisory board, a member of the editorial board of the New Zealand Law Review and a member of the Mont Pelerin Society.
Phone: +64 4 499 0790
Imagine trying to take instructions from a deceased client, or entering into a contract with your great-great-grandparents. According to our Supreme Court's latest decision, these absurdities might not be far-fetched. Read more
The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Nikora v Kruger [2024] NZSC 130 has conjured up a revolutionary new principle of property law. According to our highest court, land can be beneficially owned by the dead. Read more
Jordan Peterson’s latest message to his followers is a masterclass in rhetorical sleight of hand. Peterson delivered a keynote address at last week’s ARC conference in Sydney, which was also broadcast on Sky News Australia. Read more
My recent column, “Parliament should rein in our runaway Supreme Court,” sounded the alarm on a troubling trend. Our highest court is overstepping its bounds, reshaping laws in ways that challenge Parliament’s authority. Read more
On the latest episode of his podcast Different Matters, Damien Grant talks to Roger Partridge about his latest report on the Supreme Court, in which he warns of a looming constitutional crisis in New Zealand, as the Supreme Court increasingly oversteps its bounds, threatening the balance of power between the courts and Parliament. Listen below. Read more
Picture a country where unelected judges, not elected politicians, make the laws. Where courts rewrite statutes they do not like and reshape long-standing legal rules based on their views of ‘society’s changing values.’ Sound far-fetched? Read more
Imagine a game of tug-of-war in which one team steadily gains ground. Now, picture our legal system as a rope, with Parliament on one end and the Supreme Court on the other. Read more
Roger Partridge talked to Emile Donovan on RNZ Nights about the Supreme Court overstepping its bounds, the subject of his latest report. Listen below. Read more
The United States offers a stark warning of the consequences of an activist judiciary. The outsized role of the U.S. Read more
Roger Partridge talked to Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB about his latest report and how the Supreme Court has moved out of its lane. Listen below. Read more
Roger Partridge was a guest on The Leighton Smith Podcast to discuss his latest report. Listen below. Read more
The webinar launched Roger Partridge's report "Who makes the Law? Reining in the Supreme Court," which examines concerns about judicial overreach by New Zealand's Supreme Court and proposes solutions to restore balance between Parliament and the judiciary. Read more
Wellington (Tuesday, 15 October 2024) - A new report from The New Zealand Initiative warns of a looming constitutional crisis in New Zealand, as the Supreme Court increasingly oversteps its bounds, threatening the balance of power between the courts and Parliament. The report, "Who Makes the Law? Read more
This report warns of a looming constitutional crisis in New Zealand, as the Supreme Court increasingly oversteps its bounds, threatening the balance of power between the courts and Parliament. The report, "Who Makes the Law? Read more
In this episode, Oliver talks to Roger and Richard Ekins. They discuss concerns about judicial overreach by New Zealand's Supreme Court, as outlined Roger's latest research report for the New Zealand Initiative. Read more