ISSUE
18 DECEMBER 2014
2014 REVIEW p2-5 I CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN p6-8 I SERVICES p9
LEGAL LOWDOWN
COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICES SOUTH TRUST
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Season’s Greetings from CLSST 2014: A YEAR IN REVIEW
Season’s Greetings! In this month’s issue of Legal Lowdown, we take a look back at the year that was—our people, our services and our community. Over the course of this year we were fortunate enough to receive volunteer services, contributions, donations and human resources to assist us with delivering access to
justice
to
our
community.
We would like to take the opportunity to thank the following organisations and individuals for their contributions to our services this year: Te Mata Law Barristers, FRANCOSS, Citizens’ Advice Bureau Papakura, Brookfields Lawyers, Hay Group, Equal Justice Project, Auckland University, Faculty of Law, Manukau Institute of Technology, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Joanna Keane-Clover Park Community House, Radio 531pi, Manurewa Marae, Electricity & Gas Complaints Commission, Maria Graham-Maori Land Court Hamilton, Maori Land Court Tamaki and our CLSST Trustees. “He kokonga whare e kitea, he kokonga ngakau e kore e kitea—All corners of a room may be seen, not so the recesses of the heart”. The team at Community Legal Services South Trust want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe & happy New Year.
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A YEAR IN REVIEW: LEGAL EDUCATION Through our legal education services we seek to educate the community on legal topics in the hope that they will apply what they learnt, to everyday situations. Given the diverse community we serve, our lawyers have presented education sessions in English, Tongan, Samoan, Maori and Punjabi/Hindi. Our main legal education sessions were our weekly Legal Lunchbox series, Law in School, Law for Seniors, Legal Survival Kit and one-off sessions for community groups and organisations. Take a look at some of our education sessions for the year, below. For more information on our legal education services, pleas see our website at www.clsstlaw.com or contact our legal education team at education@clsstlaw.com
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A YEAR IN REVIEW: LEGAL INFORMATION As part of our preventative services we seek to inform our communities about law changes and legal rights and responsibilities. We also use our information services as a vehicle to support awareness initiatives. Our main sources of information sharing in 2014 were our monthly Legal Lowdown Newsletter, CLSST Facebook, CLSST Twitter, CLSST website and weekly radio slot on Radio531pi. Here is a list of some of the awareness days we supported this year: Race Relations Day, Mana Wahine Day, Polyfest, NZ Sign Language Week, White Ribbon Day, Privacy Week, Maori Language Week, Samoan Language Week, Tongan Language Week, Pacific Settlement Support conference, Neighbours Day and Pacific Together Disability Celebration Day. Radio531pi
Mana Wahine Day
Privacy Week
Polyfest
White Ribbon Day
Race Relations Day
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A YEAR IN REVIEW: MAORI & PASEFIKA
MAORI: ACCESS TO JUSTICE Our focus on delivering access to justice to Maori has seen CLSST lend its support to a number of kaupapa Maori initiatives this year. We have also been fortunate to have continued support to our very own kaupapa Maori services. A few of such services are outlined below. MAORI LAND CLINIC With the assistance of the Maori Land Court, Tamaki and Te Mata Law, we were able to facilitate free Maori Land legal advice, education, information and assistance clinics in 2014. The clinics were held at Manurewa Marae on a monthly basis and catered to people from all corners of our service area. ACCESS TO JUSTICE HUI We were also pleased to host a region wide “Maori Access to Justice Hui” in March. The Hui focused on Maori youth and sought commitment from Maori service providers to advocate for change, for the betterment of Maori. The Hui was well received and attended by community groups, service providers, churches, Marae and individuals. ATEA MAORI JUSTICE NETWORK As a result of the Maori Access to Justice Hui, Atea-Maori Justice Network was formed to advocate for improved access to justice for Maori. The Network is made up of key stakeholders of kaupapa Maori service providers within the Auckland region. Its current projects include developing strategies to support Maori lay advocates and encouraging service providers to consider Maori needs. NGA KAIAWHINA HAPORI MAORI O TE TURE (MAORI CAUCUS OF COMMUNITY LAW CENTRES) NKHMT seek to promote access to justice, to Maori, through Community Law. CLSST is actively involved with NKHMT and assists with developing strategies to deliver Maori focused community legal services to our service areas. We have found that the best way to deliver such services is by adopting a face-to-face approach. We are able to achieve this through our weekly outreach clinic at Manurewa Marae and through our Maori language, information resources, available via our website.
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A YEAR IN REVIEW: MAORI & PASEFIKA
Soane Foliaki presenting at the New Migrant Settlers Support Conference.
PASEFIKA: ACCESS TO JUSTICE Our Pasefika community make up the majority of the population in our service area. Accordingly, we have found a number ways to best support our pacific community with their legal issues. PASEFIKA SERVICES We have provided numerous legal education sessions to pacific churches and social services providers throughout our service area, such as ARMS and Vaka Tautua. Having lawyers who are able to speak Samoan and Tongan is a big help in ensuring clients and legal education participants understand the information and advice provided. IMMIGRATION LAW TRAINING Our lawyers have also assisted in providing training and workshops to immigration workers, advisors and lawyers. Such workshops and training included a presentation at the National Community Law Centres Conference 2014 held in Wellington. PACIFIC STUDENT VOLUNTEERS We also made time for volunteer law students from the Pacific Justice Project of the University of Auckland, to whom we provided mentoring and guidance. Students were able to observe client interviews and assist with admin, information and education tasks. In this way, we are pleased to be able to assist in the succession planning of the Pacific legal fraternity.
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TOP TEN: CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN! CLSST has come up with its “TOP TEN CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN”, a list of legal tips to help you all through the festive season.
Consumer laws don’t protect you if you simply change your mind on a gift you have purchased. Make sure you check the store return policy or get a gift exchange card, just in case you get a bout of “buyer’s remorse”.
#9
neighbour law
#10
consumer law
Local Councils have the power to issue Excessive Noise Directions where noise is excessive. They also have the power to seize equipment like stereos or issue an infringement notice if noise remains excessive. Please keep this in mind when planning your festive season celebrations.
If you are planning a Christmas party, you should ensure that guests behave responsibly. A landlord is within their rights to seek compensation from you, as a tenant, for any damage caused by your house guests.
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#8
tenancy law
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TOP TEN: CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN!
#7
criminal law
It is important that you lock and secure your house if you will be away from home during the festive season. Have someone house sit if you can and install an alarm system for extra protection. If you don’t, your house could be the target of a theft, burglary or vandalism. Contact the Police immediately if you suspect that your house has been targeted by a crime.
Alcohol can only be sold and supplied to a person over 18 years of age. If a person is under 18 years old and not with a legal parent or guardian, he or she cannot enter a restricted area of any licensed premises or buy alcohol.
#5 elder law
#6
youth law
Use the festive season to check up on the elderly. It may be time for them to consider having a Will or Enduring Power of Attorney completed. These documents can ensure that their personal affairs are taken care of in the case that they are unable to do so themselves.
Family days at the beach are a kiwi tradition of the festive season, but be careful when fishing or diving. A person can be charged for accumulating more than his or her daily limit of, or undersized, finfish, shellfish and rock lobster. A person can also be charged for fishing from a restricted area. For more information on size restrictions and daily limits, please visit the Ministry of Primary Industries website. Š CLSST, 2014 - (09) 274 4966
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#4
fisheries law
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TOP TEN: CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN!
#3
employment law
An employer may implement an annual closedown period during the Christmas holidays and require employees to take annual leave during that period. If the employee has not accrued any (or enough) holiday leave, they may not be paid during the closedown period. An employer is required to provide at least 14 days’ advance notice of the closedown.
It is important to remember that Parenting Orders must be strictly adhered to over the festive season. Although you may wish to spend Christmas Day with your child(ren), you should seek agreement from the other Parent or Guardian otherwise you may be in breach of a Parenting Order, which is a criminal offence.
#1
traffic law
#2
care of children
Don’t drink and drive! As of 1 December 2014 the new drinkdriving limit is 250 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. As an indicator only, men will be able to drink 3.5 standard drinks and women will be able to drink 2.5 standards before being over the limit.
= 30ml straight spirits = 330ml can of beer = 100ml glass of wine
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COMMUNITY LAW: Our Community CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS OPENING HOURS Closed: 19 December 2014, 5pm Open: 5 January 2015, 9am
Fortnightly Saturday Clinics 2015
7 February 2015
18 April 2015
21 February 2015
2 May 2015
7 March 2015
16 May 2015
21 March 2015
30 May 2015
OUTREACH CLINICS: Our Community Otara CLSST Office 120 Bairds Road Otara
Manukau Salvation Army 16B Bakerfield Place Manukau
Papakura Papakura Citizens Advice Bureau 4a Opaheke Road Papakura
Appointments available: Monday – Friday
Appointments available: Monday-Friday
Appointments available: Thursday
Pukekohe Heartland Services 2 King Street Pukekohe
Manurewa Manurewa Marae 81 Finlayson Ave Manurewa
Saturday Legal Advice Clinic
Appointments available: Fortnightly on Tuesday
Appointments available: Wednesday
CLSST Office 120 Bairds Road, OTARA Appointments or Walk-ins: Fortnightly on Saturday (30 mins appointments from 9am12pm) NB: Walk-ins seen according to order of arrival
© CLSST, 2014 - (09) 274 4966
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