As Chair, I am pleased to reflect on what has been a busy, productive, and highly engaging year for the LEAD Institute of Law, Emergencies and Disasters. Throughout 2025, LEAD continued to consolidate its position as a leading centre for disaster law scholarship, policy engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration, both within Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally.
A major highlight of the year was the opportunity to host a number of distinguished international visitors whose work aligns closely with LEAD’s mission. We were honoured to welcome Professor Ilan Kelman from University College London, who taught into the inter-disciplinary MDRR (Masters in Disaster Risk Reduction) programme, presented a research seminar, and generously shared his research experience with both postgraduate students and staff around the subjects of climate change, disasters and health. In October, LEAD hosted Kamal Kishore, Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), alongside senior colleagues Marco Toscano-Rivalta and Gabrielle Emery. Their visit, undertaken in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and colleagues in the Faculty of Science, included meetings across the University of Canterbury and a seminar on contemporary disaster risk reduction priorities, reinforcing LEAD’s strong connections with global policy actors.
International engagement was further strengthened through the visit of a delegation from the Graduate School of Disaster Reduction and Reconstruction Policy at the University of Hyogo, Japan. These discussions focused on post-disaster recovery and future collaborative research, deepening LEAD’s ties with disaster scholars in Japan. Collectively, these visits reflect LEAD’s commitment to maintaining an outward-looking, globally connected research environment.
LEAD’s influence continued to extend well beyond academia. Institute members made submissions to Select Committees on key disaster-related legislation, including the Emergency Management Bill and amendments to the Resource Management framework. These submissions emphasised the importance of long-term recovery, legal clarity, safeguards against excessive discretion as well as the meaningful participation of women and affected communities in decisions which will have significant repercussions upon their lives. LEAD members also participated in ministerial consultations, translating research findings into practical policy recommendations at a national level.
2025 also saw LEAD staff and associates actively contributing to major conferences and sector events including the Adaptation Futures Conference 2025 in Christchurch, where Associate Director Dr Toni Collins presented research on climate change and cultural heritage. LEAD also hosted two panels at the Law and Society Association of Australia and New Zealand Conference, examining law, rights, and state power in disaster contexts. LEAD members presented at the Te Hiranga Rū | QuakeCoRE Annual Meeting, sharing work on SME preparedness, gender impacts of seismic events, managed retreat and the role of traditional knowledge in disaster resilience. In October, the LEAD team joined communities nationwide in the National ShakeOut Drill, reinforcing the importance of preparedness in practice.
The Institute’s work was also recognised institutionally, with LEAD named as one of three research centres contributing to the University of Canterbury’s strong performance in the 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. This recognition highlights LEAD’s role in advancing global sustainability and disaster risk reduction outcomes.
We were delighted to see LEAD members and alumni progressing into significant new professional roles. Dr Holly Faulkner was appointed Senior Post-Doctoral Researcher at the MaREI Centre in Cork, Ireland, where she continues her work on disaster-related research through the DIRECTED project. Dr Sulaiman Sarwary joined Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand as lead for International Development Programmes, supporting resilience initiatives across the Pacific and Southeast Asia. Larissa Correa Pedra Ferreira (PhD candidate) took up the role of administrator for the International Disaster Emergency and Law Network (IDEAL), further strengthening global networks in this field.
LEAD also welcomed new members whose research expands the Institute’s interdisciplinary reach. Lecturer Marozane Spamers joined group, bringing a critical focus on prisons, human rights, and disaster risk in Australasia. PhD candidate Victoria Enriquez commenced doctoral research on legal and policy frameworks supporting earthquake preparedness for small and medium enterprises, supported by a QuakeCoRE scholarship. PhD candidate Larissa Correa Pedra Ferreira began research on the concept of the “digital nation” as a potential legal framework for climate-affected small island states facing territorial loss.
Finally, LEAD members continued to make substantial scholarly contributions through a strong body of publications in 2025, including chapters in A Research Agenda for Disaster Law (Elgar) and articles in leading national and international law journals. These works address topics ranging from defining disaster law as a discipline to volcanic hazard, space law, pandemic governance, and transboundary environmental harm.
As a team, we look forward to continuing our work at the intersection of law, emergencies and disasters in 2026.
W John Hopkins
Chair, LEAD Institute of Law, Emergencies and Disasters
