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Conte, Alex --- "Preface" [2005] NZYbkIntLaw 1; (2005) 2 New Zealand Yearbook of International Law iii

PREFACE

The Editorial Board is pleased to publish this second volume of the New Zealand Yearbook of International Law, for the Yearbook period of

1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004. We are particularly pleased to present such a strong volume, containing six substantial articles and numerous commentaries, which we see as a sign of the continued and growing strength of the publication. We are most grateful to the contributors to this 2005 volume of the Yearbook.

Like the first volume, the 2005 Yearbook contains articles and commentaries on matters of international law relevant to New Zealand. We have continued with a dedicated section on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, again securing the generous support of our Special Advisor, Trevor Hughes, who is the head of the Antarctic Policy Unit of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. We are again greatly indebted to the work of our principal Special Advisor, Mark Gobbi of the New Zealand Parliamentary Council’s Office, who has once more produced a detailed and invaluable record and commentary upon New Zealand’s treaty action during the Yearbook period. Our thanks also go to Julian Ludbrook of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Legal Division for his support.

As indicated in the preface to the first volume of the Yearbook, an area identified by the Editorial Board as one upon which we wish to build is the South Pacific island region. We are therefore very pleased to have secured a commitment from Professors Bob Hughes of the University of the South Pacific and Tony Angelo of Victoria University of Wellington to act as Special Advisors to the Yearbook. Each has contributed commentaries on South Pacific Countries and the Pacific Islands Forum respectively. This will be a continuing feature of the publication. We were also pleased to have received a significant contribution from Ruth Nicholls, a legal practitioner in Wellington, on the issue of corruption in the region and the potential impact of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.

A further new feature is the inclusion of a Bibliography of books and articles published during the Yearbook period and relevant to New Zealand, the South Pacific, Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. The Bibliography, compiled by Karen Willyams of the University of Canterbury Law Library, is not exhaustive, but will serve as a useful reference point for those undertaking research in the areas, or for those simply wishing to keep abreast of major writing in the areas. Karen’s inclusion of abstracts contributes considerably to the usefulness of this feature. Starting from the next volume of the New Zealand Yearbook of International Law, the publication will also include a book review section and we welcome Dr Chris Gallavin to the Editorial Board, who will be managing that feature of the Yearbook.

Thanks must again be given to the School of Law at the University of Canterbury, which has continued to provide administrative support to the publication.

Alex Conte

General Editor

May 2005