Choice of Law Bill a winner

The Private International Law (Choice of Law in Tort) Bill is a useful move which deserves support.

The changes it proposes to the conflict of law rules for tort claims are simple but important.

In the lottery of Member's Bills, winners are hard to come by. Few bills recently have brought this into focus as sharply as the Airport Authorities Amendment Bill, addressing the rules governing lost luggage disposal, which some commentators suggested was a sub-optimal use of Parliamentary time. But once in a while, a bill like the Private International Law (Choice of Law in Tort) Bill, which proposes simple but important law reform, is drawn.

Key provisions The Member's Bill, sponsored by National MP David Bennett, would:

abolish the so-called "double-actionability" rule (the Rule) under which, when a tort claim is brought in New Zealand for an action...