UNIVERSITY OF WAIKATO – TE PIRINGA FACULTY OF LAW
ENERGY LAW – LAWS.432-15A – 2015
PAPER OUTLINE
1. Identification of Paper
Faculty: Law. Paper: LAWS.432-15A (HAM). This paper carries 10 points.
1A. Outline of the Paper
Week of
Week
Format and Topic
2 Mar
1 Energy Patterns and Problems, around the World and in New Zealand.
9 March
2 Climate Change.
16 March
3
23 March
4 Electricity Market.
30 March
5 Energy Regulation. Project Approval. Natural Gas.
Energy in New Zealand: History and Upstream Production. Petroleum,
Coal, Hydro.
6 April
Study Break
13 April
Study Break. ** Assignment due 12:00 noon Wednesday15 April.
20 April
6 Energy Regulation: Prices. A Semester continues.
27 April
7 Energy Policy. Public Utility Regulation Elsewhere.
4 May
8 Energy Demand and Energy Efficiency Basics. Buildings and Industry.
11 May
9 Energy Demand and Efficiency in Transport.
18 May
10 Energy Efficiency: Utilities. Individual and Company Behaviour.
25 May
11 Renewable Energy Sources. Measures Used Internationally.
1 June
12 Special Topics. Integration.
8 June
Study Week. ** Take-Home Test due 12:00 noon Wednesday 10 June.
Lectures: Tuesdays, 11 am to 1 pm, room K.G.01.
2. Staffing
Lecturer and Course Convenor: Professor Barry Barton, Room Law G. 36, phone extension 4187,
email <barton@waikato.ac.nz>. Please make an appointment after class to ensure availability.
3. Description and Structure of the Paper
(a) Description of the paper in University Calendar
An examination of the law concerning global energy problems, oil and gas, renewables, markets,
energy efficiency and climate change, with an emphasis on regulation and commercial aspects.
The course provides an introduction to themes in modern Energy Law. The content and
organization of these lectures may be discerned from the Table of Contents of the Course Materials.
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(b) Structure of the Paper
The course is a ten-point paper for the purposes of degree regulations. It is taught in the first
semester. There are no streams or tutorials. The lectures areTuesdays, 11 am to 1 pm, room K.G.01.
Attendance at lectures is definitely expected. Students who miss a lecture must make their own
arrangements for catch-up.
(c) Attendance
Te Piringa Faculty of Law places great emphasis on providing students with opportunities for high
achievement in law papers. There is a mark for class participation – see below.
4. Learning Objectives
A student who has completed the course successfully will be able to (1) demonstrate an
understanding of theoretical and practical issues in Energy Law (2) identify and apply the most
important legislation, case law, and other legal instruments, and (3) identify and analyze some
emerging questions of law and policy.
5. Workload
Students should expect to spend 100 hours in total on this paper. In addition to lecture attendance,
significant time will need to be spent on background and complementary reading. Students should
allow for periods of more-focused time in preparation for the assignment and test.
6. Required and Recommended Reading
Required: All law students are required to purchase, for use in all law papers, a copy of McLay,
Murray & Orpin, New Zealand Law Style Guide, 2d ed, Thomson Reuters (2011), available from
Bennetts, at an approximate price of $37.00.
In addition to the texts identified below, the Faculty of Law requires that students purchase the
course materials book(s) for this paper. These are available from Waikato Print.
Recommended: Students are urged to read the newspapers regularly, especially the business
sections.
Specialist Periodicals in Energy Law:
Australian Resources and Energy Law Journal
Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law
Energy Law Journal
Journal of World Energy Law and Business
Energy Policy
Online: Further material may be provided on the paper site on Moodle (http://elearn.waikato.ac.nz)
the University of Waikato’s online learning system. Any such material is provided on the following
terms: University of Waikato owns the intellectual property rights, including copyright, in and to
this site, or has acquired the necessary licenses to display the material on the site. As a student of
the Te Piringa Faculty of Law, you are granted a limited license to use (access, display or print a
single copy) the material from the papers in which you are enrolled for the purposes of participating
in the paper only, provided the information is not modified. Materials may not under any
circumstances be copied, stored, distributed or provided in any form or method whatsoever to any
third party. Any other use of the material is prohibited. None of the material may be otherwise
reproduced, reformatted, republished or re-disseminated in any manner or form without the prior
written consent of University of Waikato. To obtain such consent, please contact the Te Piringa
Faculty of Law.
7. Online Support
Online support for this paper is provided via Moodle.
8. Assessment
The form of assessment recognises and contributes to the teaching and learning objectives of the
course stated earlier, by reducing the emphasis on closed-book examination-style techniques and
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replacing it with tasks that will improve and assess student skills in research, writing and
presentation.
a) Requirements for Assessed Work
Te Piringa Faculty of Law procedures for the presentation, submission and referencing of course
work are set out in the Te Piringa Faculty of Law Undergraduate Handbook p 33 which is available
from http://www.waikato.ac.nz/law/undergraduate. Assignment resources are available online at
http://www.waikato.ac.nz/law/student/
(b)Course Work/Final Examination Ratio: course work 100, final examination 0.
(c) Assessment Components
Component
Percentage of
Overall Mark
(i)
Assignment
30
Noon, Wednesday 15 April 2015.
(ii)
Take-Home Test
65
Noon, Wednesday 10 June 2015.
(iii)
Class Participation
5
Due Date
-
Assignment
The Assignment will be based on course work carried out in class up to the due date. A list of topics
will be provided, along with directions as to format and expectations. Maximum length: 1500 words
including references. No bibliography. The Assignment is to be submitted through Moodle.
Take-Home Test
The take-home test will be made available on Moodle at 12:00 noon on Monday 8 June 2015, and
will be completed and submitted by Moodle by 12:00 noon on Wednesday 10 June 2015. This is the
study week after the end of classes and before examinations. Further details about test format and
coverage will be provided closer to the event. Page limits, fonts, margins, referencing rules, etc will
be specified. The test must be written individually. Students may not share ideas or text for the test.
As this is a test there will be NO extensions. If you are unable to complete the test by the due time
and date, you will need to apply for special consideration.
Class Participation
Students are expected to attend all classes, prepare as directed, and contribute to discussion. Please
let us know if you are unable to come to class, and make your own arrangements for catch-up; we
do not teach by email. During class, please do not use your laptop for non-class-related purposes.
The class participation mark will be reduced if there are shortcomings in meeting these
expectations.
(d) Handing in, Marking Time and Collection
All assignments must be submitted electronically through Moodle (http://elearn.waikato.ac.nz). See
Te Piringa Faculty of Law Undergraduate Handbook, available at
http://www.waikato.ac.nz/law/undergraduate. It is the policy of Te Piringa Faculty of Law to return
marked work to students within five weeks of submission.
If you require assistance with Moodle, or encounter any problems, please contact the Help Desk.
You can send a message to Help Desk by using the instant message service in your paper (from the
participants list within the People block). Alternatively, you can email them directly at
help@waikato.ac.nz or call 838 4008.
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(e) Measurement of Achievement
Achievement in tests will be measured primarily in terms of levels of understanding and knowledge
gained. Achievement in tests and assignments will be measured also in terms of fluency and
accuracy of expression and referencing. Major deficiencies in structure, style, grammar and
spelling will result in lower marks.
(f) Management of Assessment Deadlines, Process for Requesting Extensions and Special
Consideration, and for Appeals
(i) Extensions
Students are required to complete and submit all internal assessment by specified dates. The
meeting of deadlines is a mark of professionalism and its enforcement is essential for fairness to all
students taking the paper. Handing in course work on or before the due in date also facilitates the
timely return of marked work by academic staff. Students should meet requirements as to time
deadlines for course work, or make a request for an extension or special consideration in
appropriate circumstances (see Undergraduate Programmes Manual available from the School of
Law Undergraduate website http://www.waikato.ac.nz/law/undergraduate/). Failure to comply with
requirements as to the time deadlines for internal assessment without having successfully applied
either for an extension or special consideration with supporting evidence before the due date will
result in deduction of 2.5 marks for each day the work is late. Lateness of more than a week may
result in the work not being marked. No deadlines may be extended beyond two weeks after the
last teaching day of the semester(s) in which the paper is taught as final grades must go to the Board
of Examiners at this time. Unless an extension in writing has been granted, a lecturer may refuse to
accept a piece of work which is submitted after the specified date, and automatically award it no
mark, or may lower the mark as a penalty for lateness.
Applications for extension, on the form obtainable from the Resource Room, must be submitted
to the Chief Examiner or nominee. Students should not submit the extension form to the lecturer,
nor should students seek extensions from the lecturer via other forms of communication.
Extensions will be granted only on evidence of illness, family bereavement, or serious personal
accidents or circumstances. Please note that too many assignments due at the same time is NOT an
acceptable reason, neither are claims that computers and/or printers have crashed. Account will be
taken of the time in which the student has had to complete the internal assessment before the
supervening event occurred. It will be important to consider if the grant of the extension will give
the student in question an unfair advantage over other students. A maximum period of 14 days will
be given as an extension unless there are exceptional circumstances. In determining applications the
Chief Examiner or nominee may consult with the Convenor or lecturer of the relevant paper.
When the Chief Examiner or nominee has made a decision on the application for extension, the
Resource Room Administrative Assistant will advise the student of the decision by email.
Following this, the extension form will be given to the relevant lecturer who will retain it until after
the assignment is marked and returned to students. The form will then be placed on the student’s
file. It should be noted that if an extension of longer than 14 days is granted, the assignment will not
be automatically printed out and delivered to the lecturer, therefore the lecturer is responsible for
ensuring the assignment is printed. In appropriate cases, when a student’s application for extension
is declined the Chief Examiner or nominee will inform the student of the process for applying for
special consideration.
ii) Special Consideration
The Assessment Regulations 2005 as set out in the University Calendar 2015 list in detail the
university-wide policies and procedures, which apply concerning missed examinations, impaired
performance or impaired preparation time for an examination, and missed or impaired course work.
Students are responsible for ensuring that they comply with these regulations. Application forms
for special consideration for internal assessment are available from Law Reception.
iii) Appeals (University Calendar 2015, Assessment Regulations 2005, Reg. 24)
A student may appeal against any decision taken under these regulations. An appeal, comprising a
written statement of the circumstances of the appeal, together with supporting evidence if available,
must be submitted by the student in writing to the Head of Student & Academic Services not more
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than seven days after the date on which notification of the relevant decision is received. Appeals
under this section are considered and decided by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor by delegated authority
of the Education Committee. A decision by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor is notified in writing, and
is final.
iv) If you wish to submit your Internal Assessment in Māori, you need to obtain an application form
from Law Reception at least 14 days before the assessment is due.
9. University Calendar Regulations and Policies
Your attention is drawn to the following regulations and policies, which are published in the
University Calendar 2015:
Assessment Regulations 2005
Student Research Regulations 2008
Student Discipline Regulations 2014
Ethical Conduct in Human Research and
Computer Systems Regulations 2005
Related Activities Regulations 2008.
Policy on the Use of Māori for Assessment
10. Links to Other Papers
There are no formal linkages to other papers. The paper requires completion of Law 1 to Law 3 in
the ordinary course of events.
11. Fees
Refer to http://calendar.waikato.ac.nz/admission/tableoffeesandcharges.html.
12. Referencing Guidelines and Caution against Plagiarism
(a) Referencing must be in accordance with the New Zealand Law Style Guide (2nd ed) Thomson
Reuters 2011.
(b)All written work submitted for the purposes of assessment must be your own work. Copying or
paraphrasing all or part of another person’s work, be it published or unpublished, without clear
attribution, is plagiarism. Plagiarism is misconduct and is dealt with under the disciplinary
procedures of the University as outlined in the Student Discipline Regulations 2014 in the
University Calendar.
“Plagiarism means presenting as one’s own work the work of another, and includes the copying
or paraphrasing of another person’s work in an assessment item without acknowledging it as the
other person’s work through full and accurate referencing; it applies to assessment presented
through a written, spoken, electronic, broadcasting, visual, performance or other medium.” See
section 3, Assessment Regulations (2015 Calendar).
(c) The Te Piringa Faculty of Law’s policy regarding plagiarism is contained in the Te Piringa
Faculty of Law Undergraduate Programmes Manual, available from
http://www.waikato.ac.nz/law/undergraduate/.
13. Health and Safety
The Law School’s Health and Safety representative is Ms Renee Rewi in Room Law G71 on
extension 6727, but if she is not available, please report the incident to the Law Reception - Room
Law G.44 or call ext 4167.
14. Class Representation
Contact details for the Student Representation Coordinator, Academic Services Division, are as
follows: Jeanie Richards, Student Services, ext. 8221, email: student.reps@waikato.ac.nz.
15. Complaints Procedures
The brochure Student Concerns and Complaints Policy provides details of the University’s process
for handling concerns and complaints and is available from Faculty and School Offices, The
Gateway and Student Services Division and is contained in the Calendar 2015. See also the
document Student Support Structure at Te Piringa Faculty of Law, available from Law Reception.