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Professor Emerita Nicola Peart has been a key figure in the Faculty of Law at the University of Otago since joining as a lecturer in 1987. She holds a law degree (Drs) from Leiden University, where she majored in International Law, and an LLM in African Customary Law from the University of Cape Town. Prior to immigrating to New Zealand in 1986, she taught Roman Law, Private Law, and European Union Law at the University of Cape Town Faculty of Law. After a year of study at Otago, she began her long tenure at the university, teaching Property Law to over 6,000 students, along with Wills and Trusts, Advanced Family Property Law, and medical law to medical students. She has supervised numerous Masters and PhD students. Although she retired in December 2020, Professor Peart continues to teach Property Law and engage in research. Her research interests encompass Family Property Law, Trusts, and Succession Law.
Professor Peart's scholarly output is extensive and influential. Notable publications include her recent authored book, Trusts Act 2019: Act and analysis (Thomson Reuters New Zealand, 2024), and contributions such as "Family property entitlements on death in New Zealand" in the Research handbook on family property and the law (Edward Elgar, 2024) and "Administration of estates in Australia and New Zealand" in Comparative Succession Law (Volume IV) (Oxford University Press, 2025). Earlier works feature her inaugural professorial lecture "Can Your Trust Be Trusted?" published in the Otago Law Review (2008). She has delivered plenary presentations, such as "Recent developments in relationship property matters" at the Family Court Triennial Conference (2024), and spoken at over 70 conferences for lawyers since 2000. Her scholarship has been cited more than 120 times by New Zealand courts. Professor Peart has significantly impacted law reform, serving on Law Commission expert panels (2010-2013 on Relationship Property, 2016-2019, and Succession since 2020), advising the Minister of Justice on the Trusts Act 2019, and convening the New Zealand Law Society’s Relationship Property Standing Committee (2008-2014). She served on the University of Otago Council from 2010 to 2019 and has been involved with the Otago Women Lawyers Society. In 2024, she received the Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to the law.
University of Otago researchers are leading calls for reform of the Property (Relationships) Act 1976, citing outdated rules that fail modern families. A major conference at Parliament will examine evidence-based solutions.
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