Library Subject Guides

Law: Referencing

New Zealand Law Style Guide

The New Zealand Law Style Guide (3rd ed) is the “house style” of the University of Canterbury School of Law.

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If you cannot find what you need, please contact the Law Subject Librarians – Theresa Buller and John Arnold.

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Cross References in MS Word

As you are writing your paper, rather than having to update numbering manually in subsequent footnote citations such as
35 Spiller, above n 31, at 93
the cross reference function of MS Word can be used to update the numbering throughout the document.

In Word:

  • Insert the footnote as normal: Ctrl+Alt+f is the keyboard shortcut
    • Instead of typing the number x for "above n x", type "above n "
    • Click the References tab and then click Cross-reference (a little over halfway along the ribbon)
    • Choose Footnote on the "Reference Type" dropdown
    • Click on the footnote referred to from the bottom of the dialogue box, and then click Insert
  • To update the cross-reference numbers as new footnotes are added 
    • Click into the footnote area of any page
    • Select all footnotes: Ctrl+a is the keyboard shortcut
    • F9
 

If you need to do endnotes (rather than footnotes):

  • Keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Alt+d
  • Cross-referencing for endnotes is the same as for footnotes, except choose Endnote on the "Reference Type" dropdown step

FAQs

Answers and suggestions for

  • materials frequently referenced but not specifically given in the Style Sheet or NZLSG book – a link to the the relevant section of NZLSG is given; and
  • situations in which NZLSG provides no direct guidance. These are signalled by “cf NZLSG”, and being our suggestions only it may be desirable to check with your lecturer or supervisor.

Book chapter with individual author, but book has personal authors not editors – see NZLSG 6.2.4, eg

Richard Boast “Maori Land and the Treaty of Waitangi” in Richard Boast and others Maori Land Law (2nd ed, LexisNexis, Wellington, 2004) 1.

 

Briefing paper to a Government Minister – see NZLSG 5.4(c)

Ministry of Justice Review of the ‘Claim of Right’ Defence – Initial Briefing (9 June 2010).

 

Cases and documents associated with cases

 

Re Ellis v R SC 49/2019, 30 January 2020 (Statement of Tikanga).

 

ChatGPT

Output from ChatGPT (artificial intelligence chatbot by OpenAI) to User’s Name in response to the prompt “prompt text” (Date Month Year).
Eg
Output from ChatGPT (artificial intelligence chatbot by OpenAI) to John Arnold in response to the prompt “Why did the chicken cross the road?” (14 June 2023).

 

Child Law online commentary (NZLSG 6.3)

Clare Barrett (ed) Child Law (online ed, Thomson Reuters).

Company Law online commentary (NZLSG 6.3)

Kath Clark (ed) Company Law (online ed, Thomson Reuters).

Company Law A-Z online commentary (NZLSG 6.3)

Susan Watson and others Company Law – A to Z of New Zealand Law (online ed, Thomson Reuters).

Constitutional Law A-Z online commentary (NZLSG 6.3)

Philip A Joseph Constitutional Law – A to Z of New Zealand Law (online ed, Thomson Reuters).

 

Deeds of settlement (NZLSG does not specify how to cite, but we recommend use of NZLSG 5.4)

Deed of Settlement of Historical Claims between Tūhoe and the Crown (4 June 2013).

Ngāti Rangitihi and Te Mana o Ngāti Rangitihi Trust Deed of Settlement of Historical Claims (5 December 2020).

The Queen and Waikato-Tainui: Deed of Settlement in Relation to the Waikato River (17 December 2009).

  • If the title of a deed of settlement is lengthy and complex, simplify the title in a similar way to how international decisions are cited in NZLSG at ch 10.

 

Dictionaries available electronically only (NZLSG 6.1.9(b))

Michael Proffitt (ed) Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed, eBook ed, Oxford University Press, 2000–).
Peter Spiller Dictionary of New Zealand Law (eBook ed, LexisNexis, 2019–).
 – NZLSG rule 6.1.7 for a publication still in progress.

The footnote with a pinpoint reference to a specific entry:
Michael Proffitt (ed) Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed, eBook ed, Oxford University Press, 2000–) ‘entry title’ (definition #).
Peter Spiller Dictionary of New Zealand Law (eBook ed, LexisNexis, 2019–) ‘entry title’.
Eg
Michael Proffitt (ed) Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed, eBook ed, Oxford University Press, 2000–) ‘tyranny, noun’ (definition 3a).
Peter Spiller Dictionary of New Zealand Law (eBook ed, LexisNexis, 2019–) ‘ratio decidendi’.
 – Adapts rule 7.6 in AGLC 4th ed.

 

Dictionaries available in hardcopy or in an identical electronic version (NZLSG 6.1)

Peter Spiller Dictionary of New Zealand Law (10th ed, LexisNexis, Wellington, 2022).

The footnote with a pinpoint reference to a specific entry is indicated with the page number:
Peter Spiller Dictionary of New Zealand Law (10th ed, LexisNexis, Wellington, 2022) at 123.

 

Encyclopedias available electronically:

Laws of New Zealand, see NZLSG  6.6.2

For other legal encyclopedias, cite in the same way as for print encyclopedias, but add “online ed” after the year of publication – see NZLSG 6.5.2, eg
Halsbury’s Laws of Australia Insurance: General Principles (online ed) at [235]–[270].

The Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Law and the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law, however, are structured more like an edited book (cf NZLSG 6.2), so applying that rule along with NZLSG 6.5.2 about online editions of encyclopedias, our suggested format would be, eg
Stephan Hobe “Non-Governmental Organizations” in Anne Peters (ed) Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law (online ed).
Andreas Kulick “Representative Democracy” in Rainer Grote, Frauke Lachenmann and Rüdiger Wolfrum (eds) Max Planck Encyclopedia of Comparative Constitutional Law (online ed).

For non-legal encyclopedias only available electronically, if – as is typical – they are structured like an edited book (cf NZLSG 6.2), apply that rule 6.2 and also NZLSG 6.1.9(b) to include “eBook ed”, eg
W. David McIntyre “Story: Self-government and independence” in Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand (eBook ed, Manatū Taonga–Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 2012).

 

Environmental and Resource Management Law Online (Lexis Advance) (NZLSG 6.3)

Derek Nolan (ed) Environmental and Resource Management Law Online (online ed, LexisNexis).

 

Family Law Service online commentary (NZLSG 6.3)

Bill Atkin and others Family Law Service (online ed, LexisNexis).

 

Family Property online version (NZLSG 6.3)

Nicola Peart (ed) Family Property (online ed, Thomson Reuters).

 

Gault on Commercial Law online version (NZLSG 6.3)

Roger Thornton (ed) Gault on Commercial Law (online ed, Thomson Reuters).

 

Heath and Whale online commentary (NZLSG 6.3)

Heath and Whale on Insolvency (online ed, LexisNexis).

 

Immigration New Zealand’s operational manual (NZLSG 7.1; use the most recent ‘manual updated on’ date from the website)

Immigration New Zealand “Operational Manual” (20 August 2020) <https://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/#35439.htm>.

 

International materials: Documents of other international bodies without direct guidance in NZLSG (adapt NZLSG 10.4.3; cf. AGLC4 14.5)

Declaration on the Continuity of Statehood and the Protection of Persons in the Face of Climate Change-Related Sea-level Rise 52nd Pacific Islands Forum (6 August 2023).

 

Journal articles in journals published in New Zealand: search Legal Citations of Aotearoa New Zealand for type of brackets round the year and the journal’s abbreviation; see NZLSG 6.4 for the general form.

 

Land Law online version (Westlaw NZ) (NZLSG 6.3)

John Burrows (ed) Land Law (online ed, Thomson Reuters).

 

Māori Land Court and Māori Appellate Court Decisions (NZLSG 3.5)
Treat decisions in these courts as neutral citations when reported in another report series, eg

Pomare – Peter Here Pomare (2015) 103 Taitokerau MB 95 (103 TTK 95), (2015) 30 FRNZ 626.

 

Mazengarb’s Employment Law online commentary (NZLSG 6.3)

Mo Al Obaidi and others (eds) Mazengarb’s Employment Law (NZ) (online ed, LexisNexis).

 

Morison’s Company Law online commentary (NZLSG 6.3)

Nicola Buchegger and others Morison’s Company Law (NZ) (online ed, LexisNexis).

 

NZ Company Law and Practice Commentary (CCH) (NZLSG 6.3)

NZ Company Law and Practice Commentary (online ed, CCH).

New Zealand Forms and Precedents online commentary (NZLSG 6.3)

New Zealand Forms and Precedents (online ed, LexisNexis).

New Zealand Parliamentary Debates (Hansard): the entry in the Bibliography is just: NZPD. For footnotes, see NZLSG 5.1.1.

 

Resource Management online commentary (Westlaw NZ) (NZLSG 6.3)

Stephen Blakeley (ed) Resource Management (online ed, Thomson Reuters).

  • Also called Brookers Resource Management in pages ‘What’s New’ and ‘Product Scope Information’ (i button on the Product Title drop-down list)

 

Statutes

  • Preambles: Pinpoint the preamble of an Act in a similar way to the example for pinpointing a long title at NZLSG 4.1.1(d), Eg
    Te Uri o Hau Claims Settlement Act 2002, preamble.
  • Repealed statutes are not tagged with “Repealed” (NZLSG 4.1).

 

Transcript of Oral Arguments in the Supreme Court, see NZLSG 3.8.

 

Treaties (NZLSG 10.1)

Convention on Rights and Duties of States 165 LNTS 19 (signed 26 December 1933, entered into force 23 December 1936).

Convention on the Rights of the Child 1577 UNTS 3 (opened for signature 20 November 1989, entered into force 2 September 1990).

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 55 UNTS 194 (opened for signature 30 October 1947, entered into force 1 January 1948).

Paris Agreement on Climate Change [2016] ATS 24 (opened for signature 22 April 2016, entered into force 4 November 2016).

Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community (13 December 2007, entered into force 1 December 2009).

TRIPS Agreement – see NZLSG 10.6.1

United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime 2225 UNTS 209 (opened for signature 15 November 2000, entered into force 29 September 2003).

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1833 UNTS 3 (opened for signature 10 December 1982, entered into force 16 November 1994).

Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties 1155 UNTS 331 (opened for signature 23 May 1969, entered into force 27 January 1980).

  • Notes:
    • The Convention on Rights and Duties of States is commonly referred to as the Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States.
    • The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade is commonly referred to as GATT.
    • The Paris Agreement on Climate Change is not in the UNTS or NZTS, so the ATS citation is used in accordance with rule 10.1.1(c).
    • United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is commonly referred to as UNCLOS.

 

Treaty of Waitangi, see NZLSG 4.1.1(e)