LAWCOMM 457 - Consumer Law Assessment Questions 2026 | University of Auckland

LAWCOMM 457 - Consumer Law

Overview

This course will consider the particular vulnerabilities of consumers, the theoretical rationales for consumer law, and the different regulatory techniques that can be deployed to protect consumers and how this relates to access to justice. There will be a particular focus on: misleading or deceptive conduct under s 9 of the Fair Trading Act 1986 (FTA); other instances of unfair conduct under Part 1, FTA; consumer guarantees in respect of goods and services under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993; unfair contract terms in standard form contracts under ss 46H-46M, FTA; layby sale agreements under ss 36B-J, FTA and buy-now, pay-later; advertising and labelling; enforcement and remedies. 

The course however goes beyond the material and asks students to reflect on the importance of consumer law in addressing inequalities of powers and vulnerability, as well as the role that consumer law plays in our everyday lives. 

The course will involve group work and a class presentation, which will be worth 25% of your overall grade. It will also involve active classroom discussion and participation, which will be worth another 15% of your overall grade. At the end of the course, there are in-class exercises which are worth a further 10% of the grade. This means that participation and attendance is compulsory for all seminars, which will not be recorded. If you cannot attend all seminars as scheduled, please enroll in another summer semester course.