This book is the result of a symposium held at the University of Otago in 2025 and offers a forward-looking exploration of the development of private law in New Zealand, Australia, and the broader Asia-Pacific region. It covers core private law topics, including property law, contract, torts, equity, and trusts, while also addressing emerging issues such as legal pluralism, the impact of technology on private law, and the distinction between private and public law. 

New Zealand private law scholarship has been under-represented, and this collection fills that gap by bringing together leading international scholars and early career voices. The book highlights the vibrancy of private law scholarship and fosters collaboration among scholars in New Zealand and beyond, strengthening connections within the global private law community.

The book reflects on how private law in New Zealand and elsewhere adapts to future challenges, such as technological advancements and societal changes like the increasing recognition of legal pluralism, including the growing influence of Tikanga within New Zealand’s legal system. With contributions that are relevant to the wider common law world, this book underscores the international significance of New Zealand’s private law approach.The book also strengthens links between academia and the judiciary, with a keynote address from The Honourable Sir Stephen Kós KNZM of the New Zealand Supreme Court.

Lucas Clover Alcolea is a lecturer at the Monash University, Faculty of Law where he teaches remedies and trusts. He was previously a lecturer at the University of Otago, Faculty of Law, and a postdoctoral associate in the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution at Cornell University. Lucas completed his undergraduate law degree at Aberdeen, followed by an LLM at Edinburgh, and a DCL at McGill. As a result of having studied and worked in multiple jurisdictions his work also has an inherently comparative slant drawing upon legal sources from throughout the Commonwealth and beyond.
He has published articles in the McGill Journal of Dispute Resolution, the Australian Bar Review, the Australian Law Journal, the Common Law World Review, Trust Law International, the Journal of International Dispute Settlement, the ACTEC Law Journal, Arbitration International, the Chinese Journal of International Law, the Journal of Equity, the New Zealand Universities Law Review, and the Alberta Law Review among others. His main areas of interest are equity and trusts, property, dispute resolution, legal history (with a particular focus on the common law), international investment law, and legal theory. His work has been cited by the New Zealand Court of Appeal. 

Edward Willis is an associate professor at the University of Otago.Edward currently teaches Legal System and Competition Law. He also has previous experience teaching Public Law and Administrative Law. Edward has an LLM with Distinction from Victoria University of Wellington and a PhD from the University of Auckland. He joined the Law Faculty at the University of Otago in 2023. Prior to that he was a practising lawyer for 12 years until joining the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland in 2018. Edward continues to mix practical experience from his time in practice with theoretical insights as part of scholarship.
Edward's research interests are in constitutional theory (especially as applied to the New Zealand constitution), all aspects of public law (including rights issues, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and administrative law), competition law and business regulation. He is currently undertaking a major project interrogating the public law dimension of business regulation.