Free legal help

Legal problems can be serious and frightening, and for many people lawyers are unaffordable.

But everyone has the right to high quality legal help – that’s where Baywide Community Law comes in.

Free monthly Māori Land workshops

Māori Land Court kaimahi are now delivering education workshops at Baywide’s Whakatāne office. One-on-one korero with the kaimahi are also available.
Next session: 10 March 2026
To find out more or to register, follow the links below:

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Severe weather events

Legal information for people impacted by a natural disaster or severe weather event:

Baywide Community Law provides free legal advice to people on low incomes, or with disabilities or other disadvantages.

We provide free legal information and education to everyone in our community.

We ensure access to legal services for people who live along the Bay of Plenty coast, from Waihi to Cape Runaway. We can help with all kinds of legal problems, including family, employment and housing issues, criminal matters and Māori Land.

Read more about how we can help you and our eligibility criteria on our Legal Services page. If you’re unsure, then please contact us and we’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.

We offer free legal information to everyone in the community,

and one-on-one legal advice to people on low incomes,
with disabilities or other disadvantages.

Baywide helps people to help themselves by sharing legal knowledge and education.

We can provide free tailored education sessions to community groups on a range of legal topics. To find out more about these sessions please check out the Community Education page, or contact us.