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Celebrating the foundation stone of democracy

Celebrating the foundation stone of democracy


The University of Auckland’s plans to celebrate the Magna Carta’s 800th Anniversary in New Zealand are well under way.

Associate Professor Jennifer Lees-Marshment has been awarded a £10,000 grant by the UK Government’s Magna Carta Trust to create and chair New Zealand’s Magna Carta 800 Committee.

Under the theme Magna Carta New Zealand: Celebrating the past; Reflecting on the present; and imagining the future, the committee is organising events at the University of Auckland that discuss, promote and celebrate the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in New Zealand.

The main event is a lecture series to be held at the university in the week of Monday 6 to Friday 10 July 2015. Each night two or three guest speakers will discuss the Magna Carta under a different New Zealand theme including Māori, migration and the constitution.

The series will feature guest speakers including Chief Justice Sian Elias, Attorney-General Chris Finlayson and Labour leader Andrew Little.

The committee is also encouraging other universities to hold their own events and lectures throughout the year.
Minister Finlayson has also launched the Magna Carta 800 Essay Competition for New Zealand students to recognise the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta.
The competition has both a High School and University category and is open to all current New Zealand secondary and tertiary students.

Essays must be submitted by Friday 1 May 2015. Minister Finlayson will judge the essays along with the Solicitor General, Mike Heron QC, and the university’s Dr Stephen Winter.

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For more information visit Attorney-General Magna Carta 800 Essay Competition - Further details and entry form.

The committee has also completed an extensive website detailing events throughout the year. More details will be placed on the site as the year progresses.

For more information, visit Magna Carta New Zealand’s website https://magnacartanz.wordpress.com/ or email Jennifer on j.lees-marshment@auckland.ac.nz

The Magna Carta Trust’s 800th Anniversary Commemoration Committee is charged by the Magna Carta Trust to co-ordinate activities, raise the profile of the anniversary and deliver a number of key national and international aspirations. For more information, visit www.magnacarta800th.com

Sealed at Runnymede near Windsor Castle in June 1215, Magna Carta was a series of written promises between King John and his subjects about how the king would govern England and deal with its people. Magna Carta’s creation and sealing is regarded as the foundation stone of democracy in England and the establishment of the rule of law that has influenced other nations since.


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