Continental Drift: Constitutional Development and Divergence in New Zealand and Australia

The SS Lucinda occupies an important place in Australian constitutional history as the site of key progress in the drafting of the Australian Constitution during the 1891 National Australasian Convention. The same was very nearly true of its place in New Zealand’s constitutional history — had New Zealand not set its face against federation with the Australian colonies and forged its own, distinct constitutional path. In the 2025 Lucinda Lecture, Dame Helen Winkelmann traces the divergent paths taken by New Zealand and Australian constitutional law from their common point of origin. In particular, she reflects on the different models of constitutionalism adopted in each nation and the implications of these models for public and constitutional law.