About the department

As one of the largest commercial law departments in Australasia, our expertise spans all areas of commercial law, including: corporate, intellectual property and information technology, governance, insolvency, international trade, securities markets, finance, insurance, and taxation. The department runs the Master of Taxation Studies programme (MTaxS) and its popular Honours programme in taxation and commercial law.

Department staff are leading academics in their fields, with many combining academic excellence with experience as practitioners in leading New Zealand firms. Research is regularly published in leading New Zealand and international journals and treatises. As part of a vibrant discipline that impacts directly on business, staff focus on producing excellent research that is relevant and has an impact on business and the professions. Staff are frequently seen in the papers and on television contributing to public debates about controversies in commercial law and are actively involved in law reform. We hold regular public seminars and conferences for the business community and the professions.

The department hosts the New Zealand Governance Centre, and together with the Faculty of Law, runs the Research Centre for Business Law, which publishes the New Zealand Business Law Quarterly, New Zealand’s leading business law journal.

We take pride in our record of teaching excellence, and in being a fun and welcoming department in which to work and study.

Associate Professor Christopher Nicoll
Head of Department