Associate ProfessorToni Collins

Toni’s research focuses on the intersection of land law, and disaster law, with particular emphasis on whether legal frameworks operate efficiently and effectively after disasters to ensure communities are supported to recover as quickly as possible. She investigates the resilience of land-based legal systems and the effectiveness of contractual obligations, risk allocation mechanisms, and statutory interventions in supporting post-disaster recovery. Her work examines the legal and commercial impacts of major earthquake events, including the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquakes and the 2016 Kaikōura and Wellington earthquakes, tracing how relationships, regulatory responses, and community outcomes evolve across regions and events.

Toni’s broader interests include disaster recovery law, emergency management law, land system resilience, and the interface between land law, risk governance, and seismic risk mitigation and management in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Key words: disaster, resilience, legal frameworks, legal preparedness, earthquakes