Aotearoa Chinese Legal Support Foundation

What Aotearoa Chinese Legal Support Foundation does

The Aotearoa Chinese Legal Support Foundation (ACLS) is a New Zealand–registered charitable foundation established on 18 May 2020 in Auckland to deliver free legal aid and public legal education to the Chinese community in New Zealand. It was founded by Chinese legal professionals, educators, community leaders, and second-generation Chinese immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to rising racial discrimination and unmet legal needs among Chinese residents, workers, students, and business owners. Services are delivered through free legal consultations, case guidance, a phone/email hotline (+64 9 282 9952, [email protected]), and recurring Mandarin-language seminars on employment law, tenancy, immigration, family law, anti-discrimination, civic participation, and cross-border wills and trusts.

The foundation runs six core programs: Legal Aid Services, Legal Education Programs, the New Zealand Election Education Program (MMP voter education), the Anti-Racism Project, the Chinese International Student Support Program, and a Volunteer Center that recruits and trains volunteers from law, education, finance, immigration, translation, and media backgrounds. It does not operate a proprietary technology platform; outreach is delivered through community events, social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube), and direct partnerships with Northcote and Albany Libraries, the Citizens Advice Bureau, the North Shore Chinese Community Network, and Kaipatiki Community Facilities Trust. The organization is governed by Chairman Zhang Yang and a board that includes New Zealand MP Chen Nairsi, with a volunteer advisory committee spanning employment, family, and cross-border legal expertise.

The business model is that of a donation-funded non-profit: all services to beneficiaries are free of charge, with operating costs covered by donations accepted via PayPal and other charitable contributions. There are no disclosed fees, contracts, grants schedule, or revenue figures; operations are supported by approximately five core staff and a volunteer network spanning more than ten professional fields. Geographic activity is concentrated on Auckland's North Shore, with no disclosed expansion outside the Auckland region.

Name

Aotearoa Chinese Legal Support Foundation

Legal name

AOTEAROA CHINESE LEGAL SUPPORT FOUNDATION

Website

https://acls.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Aotearoa Chinese Legal Support Foundation is a New Zealand non-profit founded in 2020 that provides free legal aid, consultations, and Mandarin-language legal education seminars to Chinese residents, workers, students, and business owners in Auckland's North Shore, funded by donations and a volunteer professional network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH)

Keywords

• Legal aid services
• Immigration law support
• Employment law education
• Community legal outreach
• Anti-discrimination advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Funding: The foundation operates as a non-profit charitable organization funded through donations. The organization accepts donations via PayPal and relies on charitable contributions to fund its legal aid programs and operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aotearoa Chinese Legal Support Foundation is a non-profit charitable foundation that provides free legal aid services, bilingual legal consultations, case guidance, and advocacy support to Chinese community members in New Zealand, including citizens, permanent residents, workers, international students, and business owners. The foundation complements these services with public legal education seminars covering employment law, housing, immigration, anti-discrimination, family law, and civic participation, as well as specialized programs such as an anti-racism project and an international student support program. All services are delivered free of charge and funded through charitable donations and volunteer contributions.

Product overview

The Aotearoa Chinese Legal Support Foundation is a non-profit organization established in May 2020 that provides legal aid services to the Chinese community in New Zealand. The foundation operates through several interconnected programs: legal consultation services and case support for individuals and businesses; public legal education seminars covering employment law, tenancy, immigration, anti-discrimination, and civic participation; specific projects addressing racial discrimination and supporting international students; and a volunteer network recruiting professionals from law, education, finance, immigration, and translation sectors. The organization does not operate as a technology platform but rather as a community legal support service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legal Aid Services (法律援助服务) Provides free legal consultation, case guidance, and advocacy support for Chinese community members in New Zealand, including Chinese citizens, permanent residents, businesses, and international students.
• Legal Education Programs (普法讲座) Public legal education seminars covering topics such as employment law, tenancy law, immigration, anti-discrimination, family law, and civic participation including election education.
• New Zealand Election Education Program (新西兰选举制度普及项目) Educational program informing Chinese community members about New Zealand's MMP electoral system, voter registration, and the importance of political participation.
• Anti-Racism Project (新西兰华人反对种族歧视项目) Project addressing racial discrimination against Chinese community members, providing legal guidance and support for victims of discrimination.
• Chinese International Student Support Program (中国留学生关爱项目) Program providing guidance and legal support for international students from China, covering rights protection, pastoral care standards, and risk prevention.
• Legal Consultation Hotline Phone and email consultation service providing legal information and referrals to Chinese community members, with phone number +64 9 282 9952 and email [email protected].

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2020Collaboration with Citizens Advice Bureau for joint legal education events, particularly on topics like the End of Life Choice Act referendum.
• Northcote LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with Northcote Library for hosting educational seminars and community events. Jointly organized events on topics including electoral participation, referendums, and legal rights awareness.
• Albany LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Albany Library for hosting legal education seminars and community outreach events including Maori cultural awareness and employment law workshops.
• North Shore Chinese Community Network (北岸华人社区联络网)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive participation in the North Shore Chinese Community Network monthly meetings to engage with various Chinese community organizations and coordinate community initiatives.
• Kaipatiki Community Facilities TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Kaipatiki Community Facilities Trust for community development initiatives and participation in regional planning discussions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Northcote and Albany Libraries (Auckland Council): Public library network that hosts ACLS seminars and community events. Not a legal aid competitor but a critical infrastructure partner that enables ACLS's community-led outreach model.

Broad incumbents

• New Zealand Law Society: National professional body for lawyers in NZ. Provides pro bono referral and public legal education resources across the country; relevant as an umbrella legal services institution.
• Salvation Army New Zealand: Large NZ charitable organization providing community services including migrant/refugee support. Operates a broader portfolio but overlaps with ACLS on community welfare and vulnerable migrant support.
• Citizens Advice Bureau Australia: Australian counterpart providing similar free legal/social advice services. Comparable model across a larger geography, useful as a benchmark for what a mature community legal advice network looks like.

Direct peers

• Asian Family Services: Provides culturally-appropriate social, health, and family support services for Asian communities in NZ. Similar community-led, culturally-targeted service model with overlapping ethnic community segments.
• NZ Chinese Association: National umbrella organization serving the Chinese community in NZ with cultural, social, and advocacy services. Overlapping beneficiary base and complementary mission around Chinese community welfare.
• Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) New Zealand: New Zealand-wide network providing free legal information, advice, and referral services. ACLS already partners with CAB on joint legal education events, making it the most directly comparable free legal aid/community advice peer.
• Community Law Centres o Aotearoa: Network of community law centres providing free legal help across NZ. Similar mission of free legal aid for underserved communities; ACLS operates as a culturally-specialized vertical extension of this model.
• Auckland District Law Society Community Law Centre: Provides community legal services in Auckland. Geographic overlap and similar non-profit legal aid delivery model make this a direct regional peer.

Emerging players

• English Language Partners New Zealand: Supports former refugees and migrants with English language and settlement services. Comparable niche-support model for migrant communities including Chinese settlers, with overlap on civic participation and integration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aotearoa-chinese-legal-aid-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aotearoa Chinese Legal Support Foundation