Community clinics

Baywide Community Law offers free legal information and advice throughout the Bay of Plenty.

We hold fortnightly in-person clinics in Waihi, Katikati, Te Puke, Kawerau and Ōpōtiki.

To ensure our services are readily accessible we offer a range of options. You can receive your legal advice by telephone, online via Zoom, or in-person at our Tauranga or Whakatane offices, or one of our community clinics.

Contact us to make an appointment for a clinic near you.

Phone Toll Free:
0800 905 916
Email:
tauranga@baywidecls.org.nz
whakatane@baywidecls.org.nz

Contact Us

Waihi

Every 2nd Tuesday, 10am-12noon

Waihi Community Resource Centre, 4 Mueller Street, Waihi

Katikati

Every 2nd Tuesday, 1pm-3pm

Katikati Community Centre,
45 Beach Road, Katikati

Merivale

This clinic has been paused while the new Merivale Community Centre is under construction 

Te Puke

Every 2nd Monday, 12noon-2pm

The Hub Te Puke, 32 Jocelyn Street

Kawerau

Every 2nd Thursday, 10am-12noon

Heartland Service Centre, 60 Onslow St, Kawerau

Ōpōtiki

Every 2nd Wednesday, 10am-12noon

Heartland Service Centre, 93a Church St, Ōpōtiki

How it works:

Step 1:
Contact Us

We prefer you phone us with your enquiry first, however, you can also make enquiries at our offices. We will ask you some questions to determine whether you are eligible for free legal advice. If you are not eligible, we can give you information and options for support through other avenues. If you are eligible, we will make you an appointment either in-person, by phone, or online via Zoom.

Step 2:
Your First Interview

Your initial interview will either be face-to-face, or over the phone, or online via zoom. During your initial interview, we’ll help you work out what your legal problems are. We’ll work through the different choices and solutions available to you. Usually you’ll have more than one option. We can help you work out which solution best suits you, and help you to achieve it – perhaps by drafting a letter, or an agreement, or by contacting the other party.

Step 3:
What you should bring

If you want to, you can bring a support person with you. We realise that legal information can sometimes be technical or unfamiliar, so having a trusted supporter who can help may make it easier to share and remember this information. You should also bring any paperwork about your legal problem – for example, a summons to appear in court, a copy of a protection order, your employment contract, or your tenancy agreement. It is helpful to make a note, or create a timeline, of the events that you wish to receive advice about. Our interviews are generally between 30 minutes and an hour long, and your clear recollection of what has happened enables us to give you the best advice we can in that limited time.

Step 4:
Ongoing legal help

Often, one letter or phone call is enough to solve the problem. But if your legal problem is more complicated, we may be able to give you ongoing legal help. This means we will open a file for you at our office and work alongside you until you’ve found a solution to your legal issue.
If we can’t provide ongoing help, we can refer you to a private lawyer who is right for you. You may have to pay for this private lawyer’s advice, or you may be eligible for Legal Aid.
Representation in court: If your legal problem is not solved before this stage, in some circumstances we can represent you in tribunals or courts. We only represent a very small number of people, and only if we have enough resources. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.