Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law upcoming events

The Functions of International Adjudication and International Environmental Litigation: ANZSIL Book Prize Seminar (14 May 2026)

Thu, 14 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT

The ANZSIL History and Theory of International Law Interest Group is pleased to bring you this webinar on Dr Josh Paine's book, awarded an honourable mention in the 2025 ANZSIL Publication Prizes.

The Functions of International Adjudication and International Environmental Litigation uses environmental disputes as a focus to develop a novel comparative analysis of the functions of international adjudication. The book focuses on three challenges confronting international tribunals: managing change in applicable legal norms or relevant facts, determining the appropriate standard and method of review when scrutinising State conduct for compliance with international obligations, and contributing to wider processes of dispute settlement. The book compares how tribunals manage these challenges across four key sites of international adjudication: adjudication in the World Trade Organization and under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, International Court of Justice litigation, and investment treaty arbitration. It shows that while international tribunals perform several key functions in the contemporary international legal order, they are subject to significant constraints. Ultimately, the book makes a genuine contribution to literature on the role of international adjudication in international law.

Date/Time: Thursday 14 May 2026, 10AM BST/7PM AEST/9PM NZT

Format: Online (Zoom)

Speaker: Joshua (Josh) Paine is Associate Professor in International Law at the University of Bristol, specializing in international investment law and policy, international trade law, and international dispute settlement. His first book, The Functions of International Adjudication and International Environmental Litigation (Cambridge University Press 2024), was awarded 2nd prize in the 2024 Society of Legal Scholars Brazier book prize for Outstanding Mid-Career Scholarship and an Honourable Mention in the 2025 Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law Book Prize. Josh was the winner of the 2023 John H Jackson Prize of the Journal of International Economic Law and the 2017 European Society of International Law Young Scholar Prize. Josh has published widely in leading peer-reviewed journals and in edited volumes.

Commentator: Chester Brown, Professor of International Law and International Arbitration at Sydney Law School. He is also a Barrister (Senior Counsel) at 7 Wentworth Selborne Chambers, Sydney, and an Overseas Member of Essex Court Chambers, London.

For enquiries, please contact htilig@anzsil.org.

Registration: Please click on the register button on the left of the screen. You will receive an automated email with the Zoom link once you have submitted your registration form.

The flyer for the event is available here.

ANZSIL GSIL Interest Group 'Check in and Chat'/Planning Session (28 May 2026)

Thu, 28 May 2026 04:00:00 GMT

The ANZSIL Gender, Sexuality and International Law (GSIL) Interest Group is holding a virtual check-in and chat over Zoom on Thursday 28 May 2026.

This is an opportunity to bring together GSIL members, as well as those interested in participating in GSIL activities. This virtual session will allow members (and potential future members) to get to know one another and to brainstorm ideas for activities that GSIL might undertake in 2026 and beyond. Adrienne Ringin and Caitlin Biddolph, the interim co-chairs, have discussed options including virtual hallway chats, virtual work-in-progress seminars, virtual reading groups, and a hybrid workshop. They welcome any and all ideas from the membership during this check-in and chat session.

Date and time: Thursday 28 May 2026, 12-1PM AWST / 2-3PM AEST / 4-5PM NZST

ANZSIL Postgraduate Research Students Workshop 2026 (30 Jun 2026)

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 21:00:00 GMT

The Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL) Postgraduate Research Students Workshop will be held in person on Tuesday, 30 June 2026, at Victoria University of Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Workshop aims to provide postgraduate degree research students with an opportunity to present their research to their peers, develop their feedback and engagement skills, discuss their experiences of postgraduate research and make academic and professional connections. Participants will give presentations on an aspect of their research for approximately 10 minutes, followed by a roundtable discussion of each paper. To facilitate this discussion, participants must submit short papers (no more than 1,500 words) for distribution before the Workshop. Participants will also be expected to engage as discussants of other papers.

The Workshop will be followed by the 33^rd ANZSIL Annual Conference, which will take place at Victoria University of Wellington Faculty of Law from Wednesday, 1 July to Friday, 3 July 2026. Workshop participants are encouraged to attend the full Conference and there is no registration fee for workshop participants to attend the Workshop or the Annual Conference.

The Call for Papers for the Postgraduate Workshop has now closed.

Short papers (no more than 1500 words) will be due on 5 June 2026.

Postgraduate Research Students Workshop Convenors 2026

ANZSIL International Law Teaching Interest Group Workshop (30 Jun 2026)

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 03:30:00 GMT

The ANZSIL International Law Teaching Interest Group is hosting a half-day workshop on the afternoon of Tuesday 30 June 2026 at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, immediately prior to the 33rd ANZSIL Annual Conference (1 to 3 July 2026).

The Call for Panellists has been extended until Thursday 7 May 2026.

This in person workshop will offer a space to reflect and share knowledge on pedagogical questions specific to the teaching of international law in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. In line with the theme of ‘He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka’, this year we will ask panellists to share reflections on their teaching across two themes: teaching international law in middle powers, and teaching international law on Indigenous land.

Following the model of previous workshops, panellists will be asked to respond to a series of prompts from the panel chairs. The aim is to have a free flowing, vibrant conversation across the course of the session among panellists and participants. There will be a chance to socialise and catch up over refreshments at the conclusion of the workshop. We will aim to ensure the panellists come from a diversity of institutions, stages of career and backgrounds, and have a range of different experiences of teaching international law.

Prospective panellists should fill out this form by Thursday 7 May 2026.

Participation in the Workshop

We also welcome participation in the Workshop by those attending the ANZSIL Annual Conference. Participants in the Workshop will be able to register for the workshop as part of their registration for the Annual Conference.

If you have any queries please contact the ANZSIL ILTIG co-chairs, Anna Saunders and Liz Sheargold, at iltig@anzsil.org.

A Decade of Burgeoning or Blighted Legal Change: The ANZSIL OIELIG Anniversary Panel (30 Jun 2026)

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT

ANZSIL Oceans and International Environmental Law Interest Group - Call for Abstracts for ANZSIL Annual Conference OIELIG Anniversary Panel

The ANZSIL Conference is a special occasion for the Oceans and International Environmental Law Interest Group (OIELIG), because it marks a 10-year anniversary. This Call for Abstracts invites submissions to join the anniversary panel, which will cover the topic, ‘A Decade of Burgeoning or Blighted Legal Change’. In addition to presentation at the Conference, papers will be considered for inclusion in a planned Special Issue in a peer-reviewed international law journal, to be curated by the OIELIG Co-Chairs after the conference.

Further information is available here.

The Call for Papers for this panel has now closed.

33rd ANZSIL Annual Conference | Navigating Stormy Seas: People, Place and Perspectives in International Law (01 Jul 2026)

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 21:00:00 GMT

Co-hosted by the New Zealand Centre for Public Law

He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka
A stormy sea can be navigated

By adopting this whakataukī (proverb) to develop the theme of the conference, the Organising Committee is aiming to capture the zeitgeist of today’s international legal order, while drawing on a metaphor that is particularly apt for our gathering together on the shores of Moana Oceania.

The lyrical quality of the whakataukī should not beguile us into under-estimating the challenges. This may not be a passing storm. These stormy seas might be causing lasting destruction. We may have already suffered irreparable structural harm. Recognising all that, the challenges bring with them an opportunity to re-imagine – and re-build – whole new worlds, whole new ways of being, new communities, and new strategies. The challenges also invite us to listen and be attentive to other voices that may have been neglected. Even if we are not spurred to radical change, at the very least, the challenges might prompt us to think carefully about our traditional tools and re-examine our long-cherished assumptions.

We hope that this conference can provide the opportunity to imagine new worlds. In doing so, we ask if there is still a place for reform of the old system? Of the old ways of doing things? If we do embark on imagining new worlds, then what might the contours of new horizons look like? If we persist with the familiar, how might renewal or reform emerge? If we fail to adapt, then what lies ahead?

We look forward to welcoming participants to the 33rd ANZSIL Conference on the theme: Navigating Stormy Seas: People, Place and Perspectives in International Law.

Conference Program

The Conference will begin on Wednesday 1 July 2026 at 9AM with a welcome (registration will be open from 8.30AM) and will conclude on Friday 3 July 2026 at 1PM.

We are delighted to advise that our keynote speakers will be:

Professor Kate Miles, Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge ('Seas that Overwhelm: International Law and its Construction and Destruction in Stormy Waters')
Mr Chris Sidoti, an experienced international human rights lawyer and advocate ('Has the good ship International Law sailed?)

The draft Conference Program will be posted here in due course.

Conference Venue

This year's conference will take place in-person at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington in central Wellington.

The conference will be catered with vegetarian catering. Please note any dietaries on the registration form.

ANZSIL International Law Teaching Workshop (Tuesday 30 June)

The ANZSIL International Law Teaching Interest Group is holding a workshop on teaching international law on the afternoon of Tuesday 30 June at Victoria University of Wellington. The workshop will be an opportunity for ANZSIL members to discuss their role and work as teachers of international law. There is no charge for this event. Further information, including the starting time will be posted shortly. You can register for the workshop when you register for the Conference.

If you would like to speak at the workshop, the call for Panellists is available here (deadline 30 April 2026).

Conference Dinner

The conference dinner will take place on Thursday 2 July 2026 at 7PM at the Grand Hall at the New Zealand Parliament. The cost of the dinner is AUD100.00. You can register for the conference dinner when you click on the various registration options. The dinner catering will be omnivorous: please remember to enter any dietary requirements for the dinner when you register for the conference. Places for the Conference dinner are limited and so we suggest that you book early to avoid disappointment.

The conference dinner will feature the presentation of the 2026 ANZSIL Publication Prizes. We look forward to seeing you there!

Registration for Conference, Dinner, and Teaching Workshop

Please use the registration link at the left and follow the prompts to register securely online. Amounts are given in Australian dollars (AUD). You will only be able to submit one registration option at a time (unless registering guests for the dinner). Please remember to enter any dietary restrictions for the conference and dinner on registration.

When you click on each registration option you will be able to register for the conference dinner for an additional AUD100.00 as well as the Teaching Workshop (free of charge). Further information about the dinner is provided above.

Note for conference speakers: Your place in the program will not be confirmed until you have registered for the conference. We ask you to register or contact us as soon as possible so that we can finalise the program.

New Members/Student Associates

If you would like to join ANZSIL as a new member or a student associate, please click here.

Registration Options

ANZSIL Members and Speakers: AUD420 (registration on or prior to 8 May 2026)

ANZSIL Members and Speakers: AUD470 (registration after 8 May 2026)

Non-ANZSIL Member: AUD470 (registration on or prior to 8 May 2026)

Non-ANZSIL Member: AUD520 (registration after 8 May 2026)

One day or half day: AUD200

ANZSIL Student Associates: AUD110

Complimentary Registration: Students attending the 2026 Postgraduate Workshop and Alice Edwards Breakthrough Researcher Awardees - please email anzsil@anu.edu.au for a code for complimentary registration.

Accommodation

Accommodation options will be posted here shortly.

Travel Information

Participants and delegates are responsible for ensuring that they comply with visa and any other requirements for entering New Zealand. ANZSIL is not able to provide advice to delegates about visas.

Registration Cancellation and Refund Policy

A registrant must provide the registration confirmation details (including the email address used to pay) when submitting a written cancellation request to anzsil@anu.edu.au.

Cancellation requests cannot be taken over the telephone. Cancellation requests will not be processed after Tuesday 23 June 2026 unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Conference no-shows are ineligible for a refund.