He aha te mea nui o te ao?
He taangata, he taangata, he taangata.
What is the most important thing in the world?
It is the people, it is the people, it is the people
-whakatauki (maaori proberb)
Who we can help
We can help people on low incomes, or with disabilities or other disadvantages with free legal advice. We provide free legal information to everyone in our community.
If you live anywhere in the Waikato rohe (map below), then we can help you with your legal questions.
To find out whether we can make you an appointment for one-on-one legal advice we will need to find out more about your situation.
For all other issues, we will need to ask you some questions about your financial situation. If you’re a student, a beneficiary, unemployed, or on a low income, it’s likely that we can give you initial legal advice.
We also help people who are vulnerable in other ways, e.g. if you are homeless or in insecure housing, if you come from a refugee background, if you’re adversely affected by disability, mobility issues or mental illness, or if you’re experiencing violence.
If you are unsure about whether we can help, the best thing to do is to contact us.
Service Area
Our main hub is in Kirikiriroa (Hamilton), opposite the court house at Level 2, 109 Anglesea Street. Our centre can help people living within the entire WAIKATO region (see map).
Community Law Waikato is one of many community law centres throughout Aotearoa. For people living outside of the Waikato region visit https://communitylaw.org.nz/ou... for your nearest community law centre.
How we can help
Our focus is to help people who cannot access legal services and we aim to help as many as we can. There are many reasons people cannot access legal services, the common barrier being cost (hence our help being free). We take into account a range of factors such as language barriers, mental illness, and debt.
The Centre has an experienced team of paid and volunteer professionals who can help with a broad range of legal issues. For examples of the types of legal problems we may be able to help with click here.
We are an experienced team who provide free services in relation to a large range of legal issues to those who cannot access such services due to financial or other reasons. Our aim is to provide help to as many people in need as possible.
Our main hub is in Hamilton and we also have 11 face to face Legal Clinics throughout the Waikato area. Our primary services include information, advice and advocacy. We also deliver law related education.
Community Law Waikato believe that legal help is a fundamental human right and should be available to all those living in NZ.
What we can help with
If you are unsure about whether we can help, the best thing to do is to call us. The law is complex and every situation is different.
Our team work alongside many community groups. If for some reason we are not able to book you an appointment we will point you in the right direction. This may include providing you with some information or contact details of other places that may be able to support you.
If you are interested in looking at our resources & information section, click here.
Problems we may be able to help with:
- You are or were employed and your employer has not paid your final wages
- You have made a claim with ACC about an injury but your claim has been declined
- You are a refugee and would like to bring some family here to support you
- You have been paying off some debt and don’t agree with the amount you owe
- You are a tenant and feel that your landlord has breached your rights
- You bought an item as a consumer and it is not working properly
- A government organisation has breached your privacy or treated you unfairly
- You face a criminal charge and need a lawyer to represent you in court
Employment disputes and breaches
including unpaid entitlements (ie wages or leave) and personal grievances (ie unfair dismissals or exploitation)
Consumer law queries and disputes
including mobile truck shops and credit lending.
Immigration and refugee matters
Including visa applications, family reunification, and Immigration Protection Tribunal claims.
Tenancy, flatting, and boarding queries and disputes
including Tenancy Tribunal representation where eligible.
Welfare/Benefit entitlements and disputes
Work and Income or MSD - including Review hearings, appeals, and Social housing assessments/reviews
Debt related queries and disputes
including credit contracts, lending breaches, and insolvency options.
General human rights issues
Including privacy, interference with personal and property rights (such as health & disability, and harassment), and ombudsman complaints
Minor criminal and traffic charges
including representation and sentencing applications
ACC claims and disputes
including Review hearings
Please note that we only offer initial advice and referrals on - Care of Children, Separation, Relationship Property, and Protection Orders, Wills, Trusts, and Powers of Attorney.
