Professional help

Getting professional help and seeking advice from a lawyer or employment law advocate, union or employers’ group may be helpful because court procedure is not simple.

Getting legal advice

If you don’t know a suitable lawyer already:

Other sources of legal help

Employment advocates are employment law specialists who are not lawyers. They can help you prepare documentation, give advice and can represent you in court. You will have to pay for these services but their costs are generally less than lawyer fees. To find an employment advocate search in the Yellow Pages (external link)or visit the Employment Law Institute of New Zealand website(external link)

Legal Assistance

If you are representing yourself in the Employment Court, TE ARA TURE may be able to help.

Te Ara Ture connects people to volunteer lawyers who specialise in employment law. Its volunteers can help in the following ways:

  • legal advice about whether a case will succeed
  • help to solve a dispute (such as negotiation or mediation)
  • legal documents written for litigants (such as court documents)
  • advice about court procedure

Occasionally, Te Ara Ture volunteers will go to Court for people.

Please note, if you are already represented by a lawyer, you will not be eligible for this service. Te Ara Ture also cannot help people who have been advised by a lawyer that their case is unlikely to succeed.

How to apply:

  1. To find out if you might be eligible, check out the Te Ara Ture website: https://tearature.co.nz/for-individuals(external link)
  1. If you are ready to apply, you need to visit your local community law centre: https://communitylaw.org.nz/our-law-centres(external link)

If your representation changes

If you currently don’t have a lawyer or advocate, file a notice of change representation when you engage a lawyer or advocate and serve the other party with the notice.

If your representation ceases, file and serve the other party with such a notice.

You will also need to do this if you change your address for the service of documents. 

You can find a notice of change representation on our forms and fees page.

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