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Sam Whittaker imageLLB(Hons); LLM; PhD

Pride in Law Otago (PiLO) Faculty Liaison

Contact

Tel +64 3 556 6491
Office 7th Floor, Richardson Building, Room 7C20
Email sean.whittaker@otago.ac.nz

Teaching

Sean currently teaches parts of the Public Law paper, as well as the Information and Data Protection elective paper.

Research interests

Environmental law, public law, law and technology

Sean’s research interests emerge from the overlapping areas of environmental law, procedural rights and the integration of technology into how the state exercises its power in public matters.

Sean’s publications primarily explore how the public can engage with the state on matters concerning the environment, integrating both doctrinal and socio-legal methodologies into his work. He also has an interest in the general exercise of public power by the state, freedom of information across public and private bodies, and personal data.

Background

Sean graduated with a First Class LLB (Hons) in Scots Law and an LLM in Environmental Law (with Distinction) at the University of Dundee in Scotland, supported by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland. He was then awarded his PhD in Environmental Law at University College Cork in Ireland, supervised by Professor Áine Ryall and funded by the Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship Programme.

Before being appointed as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago, Sean lectured at the University of Dundee. He was also the Executive Director of the Centre for Freedom of Information, based at the University of Dundee.

Publications

Whittaker, S. (2026, June). FOI in Scotland 2026: Reform, resilience and the right to know. Keynote presentation at the conference FOI in Scotland 2026: Reform, Records, and the Right to Know, [online]. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Whittaker, S., & Ross, A. (2026). Developing environmental agents of change within the core legal curriculum. In R. Grimes, S. Levett, R. Samaras & R. Williams (Eds.), Teaching and learning climate and environmental justice in law schools: Global perspectives on transforming the curriculum. (pp. 84-96). Abingdon, UK: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003505006 Chapter in Book - Research

Whittaker, S., & Weaver, D. (2025). Dawn of a new information frontier? Artificial intelligence, the Aarhus Convention, and the right of access to environmental information. Law, Innovation & Technology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/17579961.2025.2593768 Journal - Research Article

Whittaker, S. (2025, January). Pushing back with passion: The role of anger as a response to environmental projects. Verbal presentation at the 11th Frontiers of Environmental Law Colloquium, Tauranga, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Whittaker, S. (2024, January). Information flow in Scotland: A legal perspective. Keynote presentation at the Scottish Universities Insight Institute Conference: Valuing public data for social, economic and environmental development, Glasgow, Scotland. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

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