WitEx provides New Zealand law students a unique opportunity to practise their advocacy skills in a friendly environment resembling a real courtroom hearing. WitEx requires you to act as counsel in a mock court hearing before a judge. You will either appear as counsel for the prosecution/plaintiff or the defence/defendant. In each round you will present an opening and closing address to the court and call one witness to prove your set of facts and support your case. The problem question will be given to you 90 minutes before the hearing. It helps to have a general understanding of the law of evidence – 20/100 marks are allocated to how you deal with evidence law. The most important skills to demonstrate are an ability to get the information you need from a witness and to present compelling arguments, with the key to success being your direct examination and cross-examination of the witnesses. The competition is fun, rewarding and a great training experience for aspiring courtroom lawyers.
2026 competition dates
| University: | Prelim: | Semi: | Final: |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Auckland | 17 March | 18 March | 19 March |
| University of Waikato | 16 – 17 March | 18 March | 19 March |
| University of Canterbury | 23 March | 25 March | 26 March |
| University of Otago | 16 March | 18 March | 20 March |
| Victoria University of Wellington | 17 March | 18 March | 19 March |
| Auckland University of Technology | 23 – 26 March | 23 – 26 March | 23 – 26 March |
2026 WitEx winners
MinterEllisonRuddWatts congratulates the winners of each regional university WitEx Competition for 2026:
| University: | Winner: | Runner-up: |
|---|---|---|
| University of Auckland | Matthew Lee | Anna Jung |
| University of Waikato | MacKenzie Lynch | Bahar Ayoubi |
| University of Canterbury | Isabella Sinclair | Toby Spackman |
| University of Otago | Kate Koller | Abby Wallace |
| Victoria University of Wellington | Harper Mitchell | Sophie Crozier |
| Auckland University of Technology | Samantha Lee | Tremayne Thompson |
2025 WitEx winners
MinterEllisonRuddWatts congratulates the winners of each regional university WitEx Competition for 2025:
| University: | Winner: | Runner-up: |
|---|---|---|
| University of Auckland | Alex Yang | Joe Reddish |
| University of Waikato | Khushman Khakh | Sharon McGeough |
| University of Canterbury | Toby Spackman | Noya Oporto |
| University of Otago | Abby Wallace | William Veale |
| Victoria University of Wellington | Hattie Compton-Moen | William Bell Purchas |
| Auckland University of Technology | Ivan Tarlton | Jessica Weston |
Financial Services Law Masterclass
The MinterEllisonRuddWatts Financial Services Law Masterclass is a masterclass series covering core and novel aspects of financial services law. This will be taught during four workshops, each an hour long. Part II University of Auckland law students and above are invited to attend.
The workshops will focus on both practical and technical financial services law and will be presented by partners and senior associates from MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ market-leading financial services practice.
The four workshops will offer a unique insight into a broad field of financial services, including the latest developments at the intersection of finance and technology.
The course is led and designed by Jeremy Muir, Partner, who is widely recognised as New Zealand’s leading lawyer for cryptocurrencies, digital tokens and coins, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and other blockchain projects. Jeremy is also internationally recognised by multiple preeminent legal directories.
There are a limited number of participant spaces available so you will need to submit a short application online. You will need to (briefly) tell us why you are interested in this course and send us a copy of your CV and unofficial academic transcript.
Applications for the 2026 MinterEllisonRuddWatts Financial Services Law Masterclass are now open (and close 13 March).
The Masterclass will cover:
- Workshop 1 (4 May 2026 5.30-6.30pm at Law School): Investment funds (from KiwiSaver to private equity and venture capital funds)
- Workshop 2 (25 May 5.30-6.30pm at Law School): Financial services regulation (including licensing and registration, cross-border issues, and anti-money laundering)
- Workshop 3 (20 July 2025 5.30-6.30pm at Law School): FinTech (including regulation of online platform-based businesses from Sharesies to peer-to-peer lending)
- Workshop 4 (29 September 2025 5.30-6.30pm at MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ Offices): Regulating Web3, from cryptocurrencies to decentralised finance (DeFi) to NFTs
Jeremy Muir co-leads the firm’s Banking & Financial Services Division, is in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific’s Hall of Fame for Investment Funds, and is ranked in the top tier for Financial Services by Chambers Asia-Pacific. From helping to develop the first NZD stablecoin to being appointed as one of two special advisers to the Finance & Expenditure Select Committee enquiry on cryptocurrencies, he is at the heart of this growing sector.