The theme of the 25^th Australia and New Zealand Education Law (ANZELA) conference in Auckland in September is Compliance, Creativity and Culture and explores the tension between regulatory demands and educational values. The conference is being held on 28-30th September. Thanks to the support of the NZ Law Foundation, Laurence Boulle AM, Professor of Law at the Australian Catholic University in Sydney, will be speaking at the conference.

Professor Boulle is an internationally recognised mediator and academic. He was a foundation member of the Bond University Law School where he established the Dispute Resolution Centre.  He has published extensively in constitutional law, employment law, mediation and international investment and globalisation and has presented papers at numerous international conferences.

Professor Boulle has practised for 20 years as a mediator and as consultant to governments on conflict management and dispute systems design. He was chair of the National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council of Australia for two terms and currently serves as Chair of the Mediator Standards Board. He has also served on the National Native Title Tribunal as a part-time member.

Professor Boulle’s presence at the conference reflects a growing awareness of dispute resolution in the education sector as a key factor in achieving a balance between rights and interests.

He is part of a strong lineup of keynote speakers at this international conference.

A plenary address from the Honourable Steve Maharey CNZM will open the conference. Mr Maharey, who is the current Vice-Chancellor of Massey University, Chair of the Committee for University Academic Programmes and a previous Labour Minister of Education, has a longstanding commitment to education, social policy and social change.

Dr Farah Palmer ONZM Tainui, Ngati Maniapoto, academic and elite sportsperson, will be speaking at the conference dinner.  For 10 years Dr Palmer captained the New Zealand women's rugby team (Black Ferns) and, since 2006, has been a Professional Development Manager for the Manawatu Rugby Union, an independent member of the Maori Rugby Board, member of the Women's Advisory Committee for the International Rugby Board and research consultant for the New Zealand Rugby Union. She is also senior lecturer and director of Te Au Rangahau (Maori Business & Leadership Centre) at Massey University.

James Field, Managing Director, CompliSpace is presenting a paper on the topic ‘Compliance with Current and Future Child Protection Laws – Embedding a Child Protection Culture. How can this be achieved?

The conference has attracted presenters from South Africa, China and the USA as well as Australia and New Zealand and there is a wide range of topics from across the education sector. The interest in the conference reflects the concern schools and tertiary providers have with the increasing need to understand and comply with legislative and regulatory frameworks while still trying to retain key educational values.

While education is about creativity, citizenship and cultural diversity, preserving those ideals in a risk-averse environment is an ongoing challenge.

For information about the conference, and to view the programme see www.anzela.edu.au