Most lawyers charge on an hourly basis and the average charge-out rate in 2016 was $292.70 (excluding GST and disbursements). This puts private lawyers out of reach for many New Zealanders whose median weekly earnings in 2017 were $959. If you found yourself involved in a civil legal dispute, but did not have enough to pay for a lawyer, could you get free or low-cost legal assistance?

Piloting a method known as “mapping”, the report is an inventory of legal services in Auckland and Otago (the pilot regions), allowing identification of gaps in service provision. The report also discusses the results of an audit of registered civil legal aid providers to identify whether they were offering civil legal aid services, and if so, how much of their workload involved providing these services.

The report discusses the legal aid eligibility criteria, currently set at $23,326.00 p.a. for an individual with no dependents. It also discusses the fact that only natural persons qualify for legal aid, so people running a small incorporated business will not be able to access legal aid for business disputes. For those eligible for legal aid, the report identifies further challenges to accessing legal aid. (From the Executive summary). Record 5875