Auckland District Law Society

Law Society President, Gary Gotlieb, Incoming President (and the reason we have for stopping us call Gary Gotlieb "President for Life");  Law Society President-to-be, Andrew Gilchrist; Chief Justice and members of the judiciary - past and present; Ladies and Gentlemen, I greet you in the languages of the realm of New Zealand - English, Maori, Cook Island, Niuean and Tokelauan.

Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni

Thank you for inviting Susan and myself here tonight to share in this dinner with the Auckland District Law Society.

It is a pleasure to be among old colleagues and friends again. I know many of you from my years of legal practice and it is an honour to be welcomed back wearing the jersey as Governor-General.  Although I have sailed in many waka during the last years, the one which I continue to feel bonded with, is that of being an Auckland law clerk, and an Auckland legal practitioner.  A great many of my abiding friendships, and those of my wife Susan and I, are with Auckland lawyers and their spouses.

This bonding of course has its ups, downs  and other directions.  To explain this a small deviation is required.  Some six weeks ago I received (as I had of course been expecting) a charming personal letter properly addressed from the interim Acting President of Turkmenistan, His Excellency Mr Gurbanguly Berdimukhammedov from his palace in Ashgabat wishing me a Happy New Year and hoping that the New Year would bring for all people of our friendly country, peace joy and wellbeing.

In the same week came two letters both from current Auckland  practitioners one addressed to "The Hon Sir Arnold Satcheland, Grovenor General, Wharenui Royal 1 Rugby Street Newtown Wellington".  The other was to "His Excellency A Satyanand PCNZM, DCNZOM, SHCOBA,DCJ, GG" the honorifics of which went off the page and round the back of the envelope.

Mr President you also need to be "mentioned" - in the Australian sense - for a phrase attributed to you in the Law News of 15 December 2006.  Until I read the article advertising this dinner, on page two, I thought that I had been soldiering on in this new role, doing my best, ably supported by Susan for a full first four months.  Imagine then my surprise when I read  " It is [also] likely to be a very long time before another Law Society Council member receives the honour".  It is therefore Ladies and Gentlemen,  a matter of no little comfort to see so many of you here this evening.

I must say I continue to read Law News and the excellent work it keeps up - even if it is to formulate letters to the editor which are never written.  Like "Dear Sir, For some reason this week's edition does not include any photograph of Mr Gotlieb"  Or Dear Sir "For some reason this week's edition does not contain any story about another successful event organised for the North Harbour Lawyers Association by Mr WJ Spring".  Or Dear Sir "Many of us passed the New Zealand School Certificate Examination in the 1950s and 1960s.  Is there any reason for Mr Michael Williams to continue to flaunt this?"  But you never write them, do you.

One of the features of the Governor-General role, as you might imagine, brings with it many opportunities to meet New Zealanders who - like many present this evening - are achieving success in their chosen fields.

Almost every day either I, or Susan and I, are introduced to people who are doing out of the ordinary things, whether in a voluntary, a professional or sometimes in even an unintentional capacity.

It is a real privilege to have the task of acknowledging their endeavours and achievements on behalf of the community. Even more than that, it is reassuring to know there are so many individuals working hard in this country for other people as well as for themselves.

More often than not, these people are achieving such success as part of a wider cluster - which can be a church, a business or professional organisation or an ethnic group.

It is often through being part of the group that they are able to achieve what they do.

They provide support, nurturing, encouragement and guidance to help people reach their full potential.

Working alone, they may not have the same opportunity to flourish.

A Maori proverb conveniently expresses the importance of working as a group to achieve an end.  ":Kaua e rangiruatia te h o te hoe; e kore t ttou waka e ki uta".  Do not lift the paddle out of unison or our canoe will never reach the shore.

It can be said that the Auckland District Law Society, like others around the country, is just such a group for lawyers.

It provides an important forum for connecting lawyers with lawyers - for the good of both the public you serve and the legal profession as a whole.

The district law societies I am pleased to note continue to be hot-beds of legal thinking and activity. They provide a beacon for lawyers seeking guidance, or quite simply collegiality.

However, these societies, like so many other membership-based organisations, are facing challenging times.

With increasing globalisation and an ever faster pace of life, people are becoming gradually more disengaged from community organisations and other groupings.

This has a potential impact on the district law societies as much as any other membership based  organisation.

The Lawyers and Conveyancers Act in particular has drawn attention to the evolution of district law societies such as this. It has required the profession to carefully consider how best they can interact with, and support, the legal profession in the future.

Membership of district law societies has been compulsory under the Law Practitioners Act 1982. However, under the new legislation, they feature only to the extent of transitional provisions relating to their dissolution or evolution.

Once the new Act is fully in force, they will no longer have statutory recognition - and their future will be up to them. If they decide to continue as an incorporated society, membership will be entirely voluntary.

I am aware that right now, district law societies are considering dissolving into one New Zealand Law Society with regional offices. Whether you finally go down that track, or whether you become incorporated societies, the issue remains the same.

Membership - either of a district law society or the representative arm of the New Zealand Law Society - will be voluntary. That is an entirely different scenario from that which has existed until now.

I put it to you that in the new environment, a strong healthy and vital law society will be as necessary as ever - for the development of the profession and for the protection of the public.

It will be increasingly over to each of you to engage with your legal communities to remain involved in the profession's development. Indeed, it will be over to you to make your society - district or national - relevant to your professional lives and the way you practise law.

This is all the more important because the legal profession is changing in New Zealand.

The Lawyers and Conveyancers Act, as you are aware, may prove to be a turning point for New Zealand lawyers.

When the bill was first introduced, there was talk of greater choice for consumers, a more effective and independent complaints procedure and greater transparency in the appointment process.

However - and I believe this is important - it was stressed that these developments would not come at the expense of the essential character of the profession.

These principles have held true throughout the Bill's passing and implementation as the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act.

However, the Act is not a fait accompli. There is still a great deal of detail to be worked through with rules and there is opportunity for every lawyer to be a part of that development.

There is likely to be robust debate on a number of the key issues. This is hardly surprising given the affected parties are lawyers.

Many of you will add constructively to this debate, no doubt.

Among many other issues, you are being asked for opinions on  the future of ranks within the profession, the constitution of the New Zealand Law Society and the way in which your professional standards are upheld through the complaints procedure .

I would encourage you to take part in the next part of the debate. The District Law Societies may provide the appropriate forum for doing this.

It is a good time to be a lawyer in New Zealand. The profession is at the cusp of change and I believe it is change for the better. I close by wishing good fortune in that future.  Thank you for your welcome - and your hospitality.

No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, koutou katoa