About Te Ratonga Ture

Te Ratonga Ture Community Law Centre

Tena koe, tena korua, tena koutou, nga mihi nui ki a koutou katoa.

Te Ratonga Ture/Maori Legal Service ("the Service") provides a full range of legal services including legal advice, information, assistance and representation and law related education to Maori and their whanau in the greater Wellington region.

We can help you with such matters as

succession to Maori land, and other Maori land matters,
employment law (eg with your employment agreement or problems at work),
tenancy law (eg, is my landlord allowed to just call around anytime? does he have to give me receipts when I pay my rent? how can we get rid of our rowdy flatmate?),
consumer law (eg, if I return this jacket which I really hate now can I get a full refund? the transmission on my new second-hand car is shot, what can I do?),
Wills (eg, can I leave my whangai some of my Maori land interests?),
family law (eg, what do I need to do to legally adopt my whangai?),
and many, many others.

The Service has an office in Wellington which is open from 9 am - 5 pm, Monday - Thursday, and 9 am - 4 pm on Friday (see our address and contact details). We prefer people to call us in advance to make appointments, but we can often see people immediately if you want to drop into the office during office hours.

As well as meeting with you kanohi ki te kanohi in our office, our solicitors are available to meet you at several clinics around the rohe as follows:

Lower Hutt:
Two Tuesdays each month, 10.00 am – 1.00 pm
Takapuahia Marae:
First Thursday of the month, 2.00 - 4.00 pm
Ngati Raukawa Social Services, Levin:
Second Tuesday of the month, 9.30 – 11.30 am
Taringaroa (next to Raukawa Marae Otaki):
Second Tuesday of the month, 12.00 – 3.00 pm
Te Wananga o Raukawa, Otaki:
Fourth Tuesday of the month, 12.00 – 3.00 pm
Kokiri Seaview:
Fourth Tuesday of the month, 11 am – 2pm

It's best if you ring to make any appointment for these clinics.

And if you can't meet us kanohi ki te kanohi, talk to us by phone or email; again our contact details are below.

As well as providing legal services we provide law-related education to groups and organisations. We give workshops on most topics of legal interest, eg Treaty of Waitangi, Maori land and succession, Trustees roles and responsibilities, employment, education, family, Wills, trusts and estate planning, new laws or changes to existing laws, etc, etc ... If you or your organisation are interested in learning more about a legal matter, contact us and we'll be happy to come along and meet with you.

The Service employs two solicitors: Rahui Katene from Ngati Toa, Ngati Koata, Ngati Kuia and Kai Tahu is the managing solicitor and Donna Poka from Ngai Te Rangi is the office solicitor. The Service also employs Hinerangi Wilson of Ngati Hinerangi and Waikato as the office administrator and Samantha Tamanui of Nga Ariki Kaiputahi as the education co-ordinator. Recently we engaged the services of a provider to be a Kaimahi a Iwi to work in the community with Maori and their whanau with unmet legal needs to help and support them to meet those legal needs, work with and provide legal resources and arrange training in legal information to workers in community service groups and organisations which provide services to Maori and their whanau and raise the profile of Maori Legal Services in the community. In addition, the Service is privileged to have the voluntary services of several Maori law practitioners, and Maori and non-Maori legal interns and law students.

No reira, kei konei matou, hei awhina i a koe. Nau mai, haere mai.