For example, island states may get more benefit from the exploitation of marine mineral resources as technologies advance. However, they might also suffer severely from the change of the marine environment, including increases in sea level rise. In this context, for the purpose of maximizing profits and solving the problems hand in hand, island states are required to respect the rule of law at sea. Dr Seta Makoto is a maritime law expert from Yokohama City University, Japan. He is being brought to New Zealand by the Embassy of Japan.

The talk will be facilitated by Bevan Marten who is a senior lecturer in law at Victoria University of Wellington and a partner at Izard Weston Lawyers. He is a specialist in maritime law, with strengths in the commercial, regulatory, and international law aspects of the field. He is the author of Maritime Law in New Zealand (Thomson Reuters, 2016)