On today’s episode of the Law Down Under Podcast, we are joined by Susan Barker.
Sue Barker is the director of Sue Barker Charities Law, an award-winning boutique law firm in Wellington specialising in charities law and public tax law, which she founded in 2012. Sue is internationally recognised as a Charity Law scholar and is a director of the Charity Law Association of Australia and New Zealand.
Sue is the author of the recently published (May 2025) Taxation of Charities in Aotearoa New Zealand and one of the co-authors, The Law and Practice of Charities in Aotearoa New Zealand, now in its second edition and published in 2024. In 2019, she was awarded the New Zealand Law Foundation International Research Fellowship Te Karahipi Rangahau ā Taiao, New Zealand’s premier legal research award, for her project “What does a world-leading framework of charities law look like?” Her landmark report, Focus on purpose, released in April 2022, made 70 recommendations for charities law reform in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Sue’s expertise is regularly sought by the media and charities of all shapes, sizes and missions. She is a member of Charities Services’ Sector Group and the Core Reference Group for the Government’s review of the Charities Act 2005. She has played a leading role in advocating for an independent, first-principles review of the Charities Act, and her work is widely cited in sector reform discussions.
We spoke with Sue about her career and discussed all things about charity law, including its future in New Zealand.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.