Proportionate Liability, Disproportionate Risk for Homeowners: A Catalyst for a Statutory Duty of Care for Defective Residential Building Work in New Zealand
First Place Winner, SCL(NZ) Construction Law Essay Prize Competition
New Zealand
How to train your expert: A proposal for truly independent expert appointment in construction disputes
Second Place Winner, SCL(NZ) Construction Law Essay Prize Competition
Over time, expert witnesses have become a crucial part of construction disputes.
Our decision-makers depend on them to answer complex, technical questions. But with this reliance comes a further question: how can our system ensure objectivity and impartiality in expert witnesses?
Pay Now, Agree to Disagree: Final Offer Adjudication and the Algorithm of Agreement
Third Place – Recommended for Publication: SCL(NZ) Construction Law Essay Prize Competition
Public Private Partnerships in Aotearoa New Zealand – Promise or Problem?
Recommended for Publication SCL(NZ) Construction Law Essay Prize Competition
Preconditions to Arbitration Supporting Best-for-Project Dispute Resolution
First Prize Winner, SCL(NZ) Construction Law Essay Prize Competition
Oscar Read
Judge, Jury, and Executioner – Extending Self-certification Abilities to Trusted Building Practitioners
Second Prize Winner, SCL(NZ) Construction Law Essay Prize Competition
Erica Dysart
Erica's essay examines the current consenting framework and liability settings in Aotearoa New Zealand and looks to Australia and the United Kingdom for comparative consenting frameworks.
SCL(NZ) 2025 Conference New directions: navigating the changing construction landscape
Developments in case law are requiring construction professionals to reassess their roles and obligations. Increasing concerns regarding climate change are testing the limits of insurers’ appetite for risk and leading to potentially transformational approaches to where and how we build in Aotearoa New Zealand.
SCL(NZ) 2024 essay first prize winner: Sean Gourley
How “design, bid, build” procurement undermines the use of digital replicas
Judges’ citation: The judges commend the winning essay as a well-researched and structured exploration of an interesting and current topic.
Sean sets out the huge potential that digital replica technologies, such as BIM, can bring to all phases of construction projects in New Zealand.
SCL(NZ) 2024 essay second prize winner: Daniel Maier-Gant
Sharpening the Time Bar: Aligning time bar consequences for better enforcement
Judges’ citation: The judges praise the second place winner for their innovation. The author identifies a driver of disputes and uncertainty in the sector and proposes a drafting solution.
FIRST PRIZE SCL(NZ) 2023 Essay Competition winner: Regulation and the Race for Robots
Regulation and the Race for Robots: Opportunities and regulatory challenges in adopting smart construction robots in New Zealand explores both the opportunities presented by smart robotics in the construction industry and the challenges this emerging technology poses for regulators and the industry at large, and proposes a suite of regulatory solutions, with a focus on pragmatic risk allocation and cost-sharing arrangements.