Liberalism and the ‘Wellington Worldview’

Law is naturally influenced greatly by ‘the spirit of the age’. New Zealand is commonly described as a liberal democracy. ¹ In this chapter, based on the premise that New Zealand law and government reflects liberal democratic beliefs, values and principles, I describe the salient characteristics of the philosophy undergirding the New Zealand legal system. I shall argue that: (1) liberal democracies in general reflect a distinctive philosophy or worldview, and that; (2) New Zealand law and government in particular evinces a similar worldview—what I shall call the ‘Wellington worldview’.