Let's Talk Law - Community Law Guide to Family, Employment and Tenancy

We would like to extend a huge thank you to Community Law Otago for the series of talks they recently delivered at The Valley Project as part of the local ‘Let’s Talk Law’ series. The sessions covered a series of three important topics, including tenancy rights, family law, and employment rights. The clear, practical advice was greatly appreciated by all who came along.

Some of the key points from these sessions include:

Tenancy Rights: When renting, always have a written tenancy agreement, pay rent on time, report repairs, and know that landlords must meet Healthy Homes standards. If problems arise in any area, seek advice early and keep clear records. If issues cannot be resolved, you can apply to the tenancy tribunal.

Family Law: The Family Court helps whānau resolve issues safely, using parenting agreements, mediation, and court orders - ‘on-notice’ for non-urgent matters and ‘without-notice’ for urgent situations. If you or someone else is in danger due to family violence, call 111 immediately. Police can issue short-term Police Safety Orders, and the Court can grant longer-term Protection Orders to keep people safe.

Employment Rights: Make sure your employment agreement is in writing and know your minimum rights. These minimum rights cannot be signed away and include minimum wage; paid public holidays; annual leave, sick leave and the right to a safe and healthy workplace.

We are especially grateful to the team of staff and volunteers from Community Law Otago who gave their time to share their expertise and answer questions from our community.

For anyone who was unable to attend, Community Law Otago has kindly provided us with a helpful legal guide to answer your common questions on these three topics. You can download that here: Community Law Legal Guide: Employment, Family and Tenancy. We encourage you to take a look - there’s something useful for everyone.

You can also access the Community Law Manual Online. This is a free pool of plain language legal information, designed to empower everyday people in Aotearoa New Zealand to know their legal rights.

If you need advice about a specific matter, don’t forget that Community Law Otago offers free legal advice by appointment at their office in Princes Street, Dunedin. To book in call 03 474-1922 or email reception@dclc.org.nz. Alternatively, you can contact them via their website.

Kā mihi nui to Community Law Otago for their generosity and support of our community.