New Zealand Intellectual
Property Attorneys Inc

NZIPA Oral History

NZIPA was established in 1912. To mark its centenary year oral history interviews were conducted with five members of the profession. Since then two additional oral histories have been recorded. The interviews are held in the Oral History Collection at the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington.

  • Sir Thomas Gault
  • Margaret Doucas
  • Ceri Wells
  • Jonty Ellis
  • Laura Hollingsworth
  • Colin Hadley
  • Kate Wilson
  • Phil McCabe


Margaret Doucas


Extracts from Margaret Doucas' oral history:

Joining Henry Hughes







Patents and the Patents Office






Patent Exams



Communications, Technology and the Internet




Marketing








Ceri Wells




Sending papers to the Patent Office






Jonty Ellis




Becoming a Patent Attorney at Baldwins


Baldwins getting a Telex machine

Clearing the mail box

Searching the Trade marks Register

Pronunciation of Patent

Tom Ennis and Jasper Baldwin


Women in the Profession

Jasper Balwdin's red notebook

Reusing paper

The Patent Reports

Baldwin's first computer

Trade marks Office goes online








  • Laura Hollingsworth


    Extracts from Laura Hollingsworth's oral history:

    Becoming a patent attorney:

    NZ Patents legislation in 2013:

    Taking the patent attorney exams:









Colin Hadley
Early contact with IP at Todd Motors:

Becoming a patent attorney (including patent exams):

Working with clients:

Visiting clients:

Women in the profession:

Women in the profession contd:

Baldwin's centenary in 1997:





Kate Wilson

Overview of patents:



Cost vs value of patents:



Drawing up patent specifications:



Innovation:




Phil McCabe
















Becoming a lawyer

Sir Geoffrey Palmer the teacher who had the greatest influence



Working in a patent attorney office during university



The advent of industrial copyright


Searching at the Departmental Building


Elected to NZIPA and producing the Patent Letter


Inviting a Hoax speaker to the Institute's conference


Arcane profession had choice to expand


Background to seeking admission as a solicitor


Getting the first Anton Pillar order in NZ






NZIPA's Oral History was handed over to the Alexander Turnbull Library on 19 June 2014. A small function was held at the National Library in Wellington to celebrate the event.






Rachell Esson, Associate Chief Librarian Research Collection

Megan Hutching, Oral Historian
Pip Oldham, Oral Historian
Penny Catley, NZIPA Councillor







Elena Szentivanyi, NZIPA Councillor
Chris Way, NZIPA Councillor
Rachel Esson, Associate Chief Librarian Research Collection
Penny Cately, NZIPA Councillor
Jon Lucas, NZIPA Councillor
Corinne Blumsky, NZIPA Vice President
Tom Robertson, NZIPA Councillor








Ceri Wells, James and Wells, Oral History contributor
Pip Oldham, Oral Historian
Megan Hutching, Oral Historian
Margaret Doucas, Henry Hughes, Oral History contributor




NZIPA Oral History

Photos kindly supplied by Imaging Services, Alexander Turnbull Library.

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