Lange v Atkinson
Court	Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
Full case name	D.R. Lange Appellant v (1) J.B. Atkinson and (2) Australian Consolidated Press NZ Limited Respondents
Citation(s)	[1997] 2 NZLR 22 (HC), [1998] 3 NZLR 424 (CA), [2000] 1 NZLR 257 (PC), [2000] 3 NZLR 385
Transcript(s)	Privy Council judgment Court of Appeal judgment (2000)
Court membership
Judge(s) sitting	Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead, Lord Steyn, Lord Cooke of Thorndon, Lord Hope of Craighead, Lord Hobhouse of Woodborough
Keywords
defamation

Lange v Atkinson [1997] 2 NZLR 22 (HC), [1998] 3 NZLR 424 (CA), [2000] 1 NZLR 257 (PC), [2000] 3 NZLR 385 is a cited case in New Zealand regarding defamation claims in tort.^[1]

Background

Joe Atkinson, a political columnist, wrote an article critical of Former Prime Minister David Lange and the 4th Labour Government which was published in the October 1995 issue of North & South magazine.^[2]

Lange found the article defamatory, and sued Atkinson, and the magazines publisher ACP for defamation, upon which they filed a defence of qualified privilege.

Lange spent the next 4 years trying to get their defence struck out.

The Court of Appeal's final hearing in Lange v Atkinson (No. 2) remains the leading case on the law of qualified privilege in New Zealand and affirmed that qualified privilege extends to publications concerning the conduct of publicly elected officeholders and those seeking such office.