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Constitutional Law Constitutional law is about the role and functioning of central government, including Parliament, under the laws of New Zealand and its constitutional conventions. New Zealand does not have a single, written, constitution. The constitution is often referred to as 'unwritten' because it is contained within a range of legal and extra-legal sources. The separation of powers between legislative, executive and judicial functions lies at the heart of constitutional law in New Zealand. It is often referred to as a branch of public law. Constitutional cases may involve challenges in Court, appearances before Select Committees or government bodies, and consideration of the many elements of the broader 'Constitution' such as constitutional conventions, the Treaty of Waitangi and legislative enactments such as the Ombudsmen Act 1975, the Official Information Act 1982, the Constitution Act 1986, the Public Works Act 1986 the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, the Human Rights Act 1993 and the laws relating to elections and the conduct of Parliament. Members of Bankside Chambers have appeared as counsel in many of the leading constitutional cases. Members of Bankside Chambers also have experience with the written constitutions of some of Pacific Island nations such as Fiji, Samoa and the Cook Islands. |