What does this event cover
Sovereign citizen and pseudolaw interactions are becoming an increasingly common challenge for local government, affecting front-line staff, regulatory teams, customer service, rates, enforcement, complaints and LGOIMA processes.
This practical webinar will help your council recognise the warning signs of pseudolaw arguments, understand how these interactions are presenting in New Zealand council settings, and respond in ways that are legally sound, proportionate and consistent. You’ll learn practical strategies for managing correspondence, avoiding unproductive exchanges, protecting staff and elected members, and developing security risk plans for situations that have the potential to escalate.
Designed for local government professionals, this session provides practical guidance to help councils manage these interactions confidently before they become costly, disruptive or unsafe.
- what sovereign citizen and pseudolaw interactions can look like in a New Zealand council setting.
- Learn how to reduce escalation risk while maintaining lawful and consistent council processes.
- Take away a practical structure for building or reviewing your council’s security risk plan.
Programme overview
Your facilitators and guest speakers
Dr Stephen Young
Stephen Young is lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Otago, where he researches pseudolaw, International Human Rights Law, and laws and Indigenous peoples. As a theoretically informed socio-legal researcher, he examines considers the ways in which legal systems interact and how new legal subjects are made, sometime with unintended and problematic effects. Prior to pursuing an academic career, he worked in private practice as a civil litigator in Denver, Colorado, USA.
Hamish Harwood
Hamish is a Senior Associate in Simpson Grierson’s local government and environment group, based in Wellington. He is a specialist local government and resource management lawyer. His practice encompasses all aspects of resource management law. In addition, he regularly advises and represents local authorities in relation to judicial review, compensation disputes, and enforcement matters, including issues relating to: rates and rating valuations, building code compliance, liability issues, natural hazards, compulsory acquisition of property, infrastructure projects and dog control.
