Press Release – New Zealand Law Society As Samoa navigates through the political and constitutional challenges following the recent election, the New Zealand Law Society | Te Khui Ture o Aotearoa stands in support of the Samoan judiciary and lawyers in drawing attention to the importance … As Samoa navigates through the political and constitutional challenges following the recent election, the New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa stands in support of the Samoan judiciary and lawyers in drawing attention to the importance of judicial independence as one of the most important elements of the rule of law. The Law Society is concerned about recent attacks on the Samoan judiciary. It acknowledges that Samoa is an independent sovereign country with its own legal system, customs and fa’a Samoa, but in any democracy the avenue for challenging and testing decisions by the courts is via the appeals process.