Associate Justice Minister Simon Bridges says an additional $96 million of operating funding will be invested this year and the next four years on legal aid and community law centres.

Over the specified period, Budget 2016 includes an extra $17.2 million to increase eligibility for civil and family legal aid, $4.3 million for community law centres, and $54.5 million plus $20 million in 2015/16 for the provision of legal aid.

Mr Bridges says increasing eligibility for civil and family legal aid will help 2,700 additional New Zealanders each year by 2018/19.

"Legal representation can be expensive, and legal aid supports people without the financial means to pay for a lawyer's assistance," he says.