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Land of the long white lab coat: Aotearoa New Zealand and the laws of trusted research
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Land of the long white lab coat: Aotearoa New Zealand and the laws of trusted research

Brendan Walker-Munro
Canterbury Law Review, Vol.31, pp.1-24
01/01/2024

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Abstract

As an island nation, New Zealand punches well above its weight internationally in terms of both technological innovation and higher education. Yet at the intersection of both domains, New Zealand has lagged in the protection of sensitive and critical university research - it takes little part in the academic discourse surrounding this concept (which the New Zealand government refers to as "trusted research") and has enacted no new laws in the space since the late 2000s. In doing so, New Zealand risks falling behind its Indo-Pacific neighbours and allies including Australia, the United States and Japan. This paper therefore responds to both shortfalls in research on the subject of trusted research in New Zealand, by providing a legal analysis of the frameworks which protect university research and promoting several law reforms which could uplift the nation's trusted research position. Noting the increasing importance of New Zealand's role in resisting the actions of foreign interference and espionage in the region, this paper argues for a most robust security posture across New Zealand's university landscape.

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