ACHIEVING excellence - lawyers and educators working together is the theme of this year's Australia New Zealand Education Law Association conference, being organised by the NZLS Continuing Legal Education.
To be held in Christchurch on 8-10 October, the association's 17th annual conference features a line-up of high quality international speakers.
These include the renowned Justice Michael Kirby, who will give the opening keynote address on Law as viewed from an apex court: perspectives for teachers, students and citizens.
Lawyers, academics, teachers, school principals, unions, advocates, community organisations and education practitioners interested in education and the law will all find the conference a rich mine of information.
"The New Zealand chapter of ANZELA is once again delighted to host the annual ANZELA conference," says the chapter's chair, Simon Mitchell.
"We look forward to a stimulating conference. There is much to interest in this great diversity of issues from an interesting range of perspectives and national experience."
Just some of the topics under the spotlight will be: the role of the Ombudsmen in New Zealand education, random drug testing in US schools, cyberbullying and other student technology malaises, pedagogical abuse, improving the regulatory environment for the implementation of the right to education, and education, law and leadership.
ANZELA will hold its annual meeting at 4pm on the first day of the conference, which also provides two social events - a welcome cocktail reception at the International Antarctic Centre on 8 October and a conference dinner at Rydges Hotel on 9 October.
Early bird registration closes on 10 September and more information is available at www.lawyerseducation.org.nz/CourseDetails/banz08.htm and www.anzela.edu.au.