The New Zealand Law Society Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa welcomes an announcement from the Legal Services Commissioner which sees an additional boost to legal aid funding.

As well as the 12 per cent increase to the legal aid hourly rate that took effect from 1 July, Legal Services Commissioner Tracey Baguley has advised that increase will also apply to the fixed fees legal aid lawyers can claim for hearing and waiting time across all jurisdictions.

This increase took effect from Monday 3 October 2022 but applies to all waiting and hearing time claims filed with Legal Aid Services from 1 July 2022.

The Law Society looks forward to a further update in November on implementing the remaining Budget 2022 changes to the policy and legal aid eligibility settings. We will continue to work with the Ministry of Justice to advocate for better support and structural change in our legal aid system as part of the Law Society’s wider work on improving access to justice for all New Zealanders.