On Wednesday 1 April, the SOULS Paper Presentation Competition 2026 delivered another outstanding evening of rigorous legal scholarship and persuasive advocacy.

After a closely contested competition, Jasper O’Kane was named the 2026 SOULS Paper Presentation Champion for his compelling paper:

“Filling the Void? The Limits of Human Rights Protection for Unlawful Combatants under International Humanitarian Law.”

The judges were presented with an impressive and diverse range of topics, making their decision no easy task:

• Cam Fraser — “From Ideal to Obligation: Does the Principle of Common but Different Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities Create New Legal Obligations in International Climate Law?”
• Jasper O’Kane — “Filling the Void? The Limits of Human Rights Protection for Unlawful Combatants under International Humanitarian Law”
• Matthew Kirman‑Martin — “A Gordian Knot: Beddoe Orders and the Categories of Trust Dispute”

As always, the breadth and depth of the papers ensured a highly competitive field, with each presenter demonstrating exceptional research quality, analytical rigour and clarity of delivery.

A sincere thank you to our judges for their time, insight and thoughtful feedback: Dr Ben Tombs, Dr Abby Suszko (University of Otago), and Simon Laracy (LexisNexis).

Congratulations to Jasper on a well‑deserved win, and to all competitors for contributing to such a high‑calibre and intellectually engaging competition. SOULS continues to set a strong benchmark for academic excellence and future legal leadership.

March - AULSS – O week BBQ

Thursday 5 March 2026 saw the Auckland Law School, The University of Auckland campus turn up the heat as LexisNexis hosted a seriously tasty BBQ outside the Davis Law Library to welcome law students into the new academic year.

The grills were firing, the vibes were high, and the lunchtime crowd was buzzing as students grabbed a bite, caught up with friends, and soaked up the start‑of‑year excitement.

To add to the fun, we handed out classic LexisNexis New Zealand freebies designed for maximum lunchtime entertainment—solid wooden yo‑yos and crowd‑pleasing hacky sacks that quickly became a hit across the quad.

Great food, great company, and simple, fun giveaways—an unforgettable lunchtime celebration and the perfect way to kick off what promises to be an outstanding year for these future legal stars.

A big thank you to the Auckland University Law Students’ Society for making it happen.

We were back on campus again this year, repeating a favourite event with the University of Canterbury’s LAWSOC – The University of Canterbury Law Students' Society on Tuesday, 24 February 2026.

How to Survive 1st Year Law returned for another round, giving first-year students practical advice, honest insights, and a few laughs as they prepare for the year ahead. The session was relaxed, engaging, and full of great questions from students keen to get a solid start without overthinking it.

Issy Hughes and Amelia Davies led the discussion, sharing what they wish they had known in first year – from study habits that actually work to ways of staying on top of the workload without burning out.

LexisNexis New Zealand was pleased to support the session with fun merch – including yo-yos and hacky sacks – because sometimes the best takeaway is a reminder to pause, reset, and not take everything too seriously.

Thanks to LAWSOC for having us back. Same event, new year, and another great group of future lawyers getting started on the right foot. 🚀