Law library subject guide , Aratohu kaupapa mō te ture

Learn where to start your research in law.

Cases, commentary and legislation

Key legal databases for cases, commentary and legislation.

Westlaw NZ

Contains up to date New Zealand legal information and offers full text for most areas of law in New Zealand including bills, statutes, regulations and case law.  Strengths include commentary on the following topics: Accounting; Commercial Law; Criminal Law; Employment Law; Dispute Resolution; Environmental Law;  Family Law; and Company & Securities Law. About this resource

LexisNexis New Zealand Legal Databases

A selection of databases grouped by subject, that provide full-text coverage and commentary of legislation and case law in New Zealand. Strengths are: Company Law; Family Law; Industrial and Employment Law; New Zealand Law Reports; and Laws of New Zealand. About this resource

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CCH New Zealand Online Library

This database has legislation, commentary and resources relevant to the following areas: Business Law; Company, Corporate and Securities Law; Property and Conveyancing; Tax and GST; Occupational Health and Safety; and Trusts and Estates Law. About this resource

WorldLII - World Legal Information Institute

Provides free access to full text worldwide law cases, commentary and legislation. Search over 1800 databases from 123 jurisdictions via 14 Legal Information Institutes, including NZLII- New Zealand Legal Information Institute and AustLII – Australian Legal Information Institute.

Terms and conditions for library online resources

Legal guidelines about how and by whom Library-subscribed article databases may be used.

More information

Concepts, referencing and more.

Concepts and definitions

A Dictionary of Law
10th ed., 2022. Part of Oxford Reference Online, which includes other law-related dictionaries.

Black's Law Dictionary
11th ed., 2019.

New Zealand Dictionary of Law via LexisNexis. Also known as the New Zealand Law Dictionary.

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Background information

The Laws of New Zealand
via LexisNexis. A comprehensive encyclopedia that provides an overview of the whole of the law in New Zealand - statutory, regulatory and judicial. Regularly updated.

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Referencing and writing

New Zealand Law Style Guide
From the New Zealand Law Foundation.

Legal citations
Basic information from OWLL.

Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations
Identify abbreviations of law reports and journals. Includes New Zealand coverage.

Books and ebooks

Find books and ebooks.

Search Discover

Find Library books, journals, journal articles, DVDs, online resources and other material.

Find books, ebooks and textbooks

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How to Search Discover

Article databases

Search these databases for the articles you need in your study or research.

Scopus

A multidisciplinary database that indexes an extensive collection of research literature with good coverage of New Zealand and international law.

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Google Scholar

Useful for New Zealand research and reports, including legal topics.

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Discover

Searches selected article databases simultaneously.  There is good coverage of both New Zealand and international law topics.

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Index New Zealand

Indexes a wide range of New Zealand journals, including law journals.

About this resource

Terms and conditions for library online resources

Legal guidelines about how and by whom Library-subscribed article databases may be used.

Related subject guides

Business and Management

This guide covers the following areas: business, management, marketing, human resources, occupational safety and health.

Finance and Economics

This guide covers finance, economics, banking, and property.

New Zealand Government

This guide provides access to New Zealand government, legislative and parliamentary resources.

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