Contributor guidelines

All material published in this journal is refereed. Please advise if your manuscript is under consideration for publication elsewhere. Please provide personal details (name, qualifications, position) for publication and a forwarding address and contact numbers, including email address(es) if available.

• Manuscript, including quotations and footnotes, is to be double-spaced using a plain font, preferably no less than 12 pt. Please leave a 4cm margin on all sides of the page.
• Please use Microsoft Word, and email the full version and a second anonymised version for refereeing purposes.
• Preferred length for articles is 7,500-10,000 words, with an abstract of approximately 200 words. Some flexibility is permitted. Preferred maximum length for notes, legislation, and case notes is 1,500-2,500 words.
• Please indicate the weight of headings (preferably no more than four levels).
• Preferably send your contribution as an email attachment to d.grinlinton@auckland.ac.nz

Italics - italics are used for case names, book titles, the full name of a report or journal and for emphasis. Do not italicise other foreign words, phrases or Acts, Codes or Regulations.

Abbreviations and acronyms - should be spelt out in the first instance with the abbreviation following in parentheses. Thereafter please use the shortened version in the main text and in the footnotes, unless it begins a sentence, in which case it should be spelt out.

Language - this should be direct, concise and gender neutral.

The NZJEL follows the New Zealand Law Style Guide (3rd ed, 2018) (NZLSG), available at www.lawfoundation.org.nz. The following is a short guide to style in the NZJEL, but in the event of doubt or inconsistency with the NZLSG, the latter should prevail.

General - footnotes should be numbered consecutively throughout the text and appear at the foot of each page. A plain font preferably of 10 pt should be used. Footnotes should not contain substantive argument.

Case citations – cases should be cited in accordance with Section 3 of the NZLSG. Italicise the case name including the 'v'. Pinpoint references should be provided for particular propositions, to paragraph numbers (if used) or where the judgment does not use numbered paragraphs, to the page number. For cross referencing within footnotes, follow the rules in Section 2.3 of the NZLSG. Please use authorised report citations where possible. Higher and appellate courts should be indicated in brackets after the report name and first page, before the pinpoint reference.

Legislation - should be referred to in accordance with Section 4 of the NZLSG. If all relevant information concerning a statute appears in the main text, do not repeat that information in a footnote. In the footnotes, if the source is not obvious from the context, repeat the short title, followed by a comma and the section (or other reference).

Examples

1. Machinery Movers Ltd v Auckland Regional Council [1994] 1 NZLR 492.
2. At 500-502.
3. Franklin District Council v McCollum [1994] NZRMA 407. 
4. Machinery Movers Ltd v Auckland Regional Council, above n 1, at 503.
5. Civil Aviation Department v Mackenzie [1983] NZLR 78 (CA) at 85 per Richardson J.
6. Resource Management Act 1991.
7. Resource Management Act, ss 338-343.

Book and journal citations – cross references to books and journals should follow Section 2.3.1(a)(iii) NZLSG.

Examples

1. Gerry Bates Environmental Law in Australia (12th ed, 2026) ch 1.
2. At 5–10.
3. Bruce Pardy “Sustainability: An Ecological Definition for the Resource Management Act 1991” (1993) 15 NZULR 351.
4. At 355.
5. Bates, above n 1, at 7.
6. Pardy, above n 3, at 257.

The author is totally responsible for the accuracy of spelling of names and citations. It is the author's responsibility to ensure material is not defamatory or litigious. Authors of articles will be sent page proofs for revision. Authors of notes, book reviews, legislation, and case notes will be sent page proofs of their material on request if time allows. It is therefore essential that the manuscript be topical and complete in its final form for publication when presented.

Copyright in all published material is vested in the New Zealand Journal of Environmental Law.

Contact: Professor David Grinlinton
Email: d.grinlinton@auckland.ac.nz