NEWS RELEASE
12 December 2013
Former Prime Minister to Judge Red Cross IHL Moot Competition
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer is to judge the annual New Zealand Red Cross International
Humanitarian Law (IHL) Moot Competition in Wellington this weekend.
Teams from five university law schools – Auckland, AUT, Waikato, Canterbury and Otago - will compete, debating important
humanitarian and international legal issues in a formal court setting.
The moot problem this year asks the law students to make their case on a variety of issues including protection of
civilians, healthcare workers, and the environment during armed conflict.
The final is open to the public and will be held at 4pm on Saturday at the old High Court buildings in Stout Street.
Sir Geoffrey will judge the final along with Supreme Court judge Justice Susan Glazebrook, head of the Defence Force’s
legal team Colonel Justin Emerson, and New Zealand’s Disarmament Ambassador Dell Higgie.
New Zealand Red Cross Advocacy and Policy Manager Gabrielle Emery says this is the second year the moot competition has
been held in association with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
“For international humanitarian law to be effective in times of conflict, it must be understood in peace time. This moot
not only promotes better awareness of such issues among tertiary students but also give students the opportunity to
engage with legal professionals who are working in this field both domestically and internationally,” she says.
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The competition will be formally launched at Wharewaka o Poneke Function Centre at 5.30pm tomorrow with a keynote
address by Brigadier (Rtd) Kevin Riordan, Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces. The public is welcome to
this event.
The competition winners will travel to Hong Kong in March next year to represent New Zealand against other teams from
the Asia-Pacific in the Red Cross Regional IHL Moot Competition.
ENDS