The growth of privacy law issues, election interference issues and a range of other issues have elevated the privacy law argument – and Privacy Commissioner and watchdog John Edwards – into the List.

The development of specific Codes of Practice for different industries as well as specifying requirements regarding different types of personal information has created heightened interest and power.

Wellington barrister John Edwards has increasingly flexed his legal muscle, including with the recent Terrorism Suppression Bill, which he blasted as being the proposed legislation as “obnoxious”, “fundamentally flawed”, and an “affront to the principles of due process”.