Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley / Te Whare Ture Hapori

What Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley / Te Whare Ture Hapori does

Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley / Te Whare Ture Hapori is a New Zealand registered charity and community legal service operating since 1981, originally founded as Wellington Community Law Centre. The organization delivers free legal advice, advocacy, education, and restorative justice services to people who cannot afford private legal representation in the Wellington and Lower Hutt regions, with primary client segments including refugees and vulnerable migrants, Māori communities, tenants and housing-insecure individuals, low-income workers, women and gender-diverse people, benefit recipients, and homeless individuals. It is governed by a Te Waka Hourua bicultural board with equal Māori and non-Māori representation.

The centre's core offering comprises drop-in legal advice sessions at its Wellington (Level 2, 50 Manners Street) and Lower Hutt (Level 2, 59 Queens Drive) offices, a network of outreach clinics across at least eight Wellington suburbs and two marae, remote advice via web forms and phone, a specialist Refugee and Immigration Legal Advice Service (RILAS, established 1997), a Pou Whirinaki kaupapa Māori service, a Housing Advice & Advocacy service with a dedicated 0800 callback line, legal education workshops, a Rights Education Project for young people, restorative justice conferencing, and the Community Law Manual. The technology stack is traditional: phone lines, email, web intake forms, and basic web/social presence; no proprietary software, mobile app, or API exists. Service delivery is supported by approximately 30 staff and around 300 volunteers, including secondments from nine major New Zealand law firms.

The organization operates as a non-profit with no commercial revenue from clients. Funding sources comprise Ministry of Justice grants (primary), Wellington City Council and Hutt City Council funding for specific service lines, Givealittle and direct donations, and in-kind pro bono contributions from partner law firms. The 2020 Hutt City Council-funded launch of the Housing Advice & Advocacy Service and a Wellington City Council-funded permanent tenancy lawyer position illustrate the model of municipal co-funding to extend service capacity. The Student Rights Service was closed following Ministry of Education funding cuts, reflecting exposure to government funding decisions.

Name

Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley / Te Whare Ture Hapori

Legal name

Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley / Te Whare Ture Hapori

Website

https://wclc.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley is a New Zealand registered charity providing free legal advice, advocacy, and education to refugees, Māori, tenants, low-income workers, women, and homeless individuals in the Wellington and Lower Hutt regions, funded by Ministry of Justice and council grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Legal Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Housing Services (62422), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK), Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH)

Keywords

• Community legal services
• Free legal aid
• Refugee immigration advice
• Tenancy housing advocacy
• Restorative justice conferencing

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable donations and Givealittle fundraising: Registered charity accepting donations through Givealittle payroll giving, regular giving, and one-off donations. Also accepts cash/EFTPOS donations at offices.
2. Government funding: Ministry of Justice (MOJ) funded organisation as part of Community Law movement. Previously received Ministry of Education funding for Student Rights Service (now closed).
3. Volunteer services: Relies on volunteer lawyers (rōia), law student assistants (kaiāwhina), legal advocates (kaihāpai), and prison legal support volunteers to deliver services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley provides free legal advice, advocacy, and education services to people in the Wellington and Lower Hutt regions who cannot afford private legal representation. Its core services include drop-in legal advice sessions at offices and outreach clinics in suburbs and marae, specialist immigration and refugee legal advice (RILAS), housing and tenancy advocacy, Māori-focused legal services (Pou Whirinaki), restorative justice conferencing, and community legal education programmes.

Product overview

Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley (Te Whare Ture Hapori) is a community legal service organization—not a technology product company—offering a portfolio of free legal advice and advocacy services. The core service consists of free drop-in legal advice sessions at Wellington and Lower Hutt offices covering employment, tenancy, family, immigration, and general legal matters. Key specialized services include the Refugee and Immigration Legal Advice Service (RILAS) for refugee family reunification, Pou Whirinaki for Māori clients incorporating kaupapa Māori values, Housing Advice and Advocacy with an 0800 callback line, Rights Education Project for young people, Legal Education workshops, Restorative Justice conferencing, and Advice Sessions for Women. Services are delivered through in-person sessions, outreach clinics across Wellington suburbs, remote web-based advice, and community group support. The organization also produces the Community Law Manual as a free online legal resource.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Legal Advice Drop-in Sessions

Named customers2 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bell GullycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHas a bi-monthly secondment arrangement with Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley. Accepts pro bono case work referrals and provides legal opinions to Community Law. Also gives Community Law access to its in-house training programmes.
• Buddle FindlaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides lawyers on a fortnightly basis for sessions at the Hutt Valley office, contributing to the delivery of free legal advice services.
• Chapman TrippminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccepts pro bono referrals from Community Law for cases requiring specialist legal assistance.
• DLA PipercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides lawyers on a fortnightly basis for a session in the Hutt Valley office and provides legal opinions to Community Law. Has recently provided additional support by taking on referrals from the Refugee and Immigration team to provide pro bono assistance in the Refugee Family Reunification process.
• John Miller LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides lawyers to the Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley prison roster, supporting legal services for people in Rimutaka Prison.
• Minter Ellison Rudd WattsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides lawyers for outreach clinic in Newlands and accepts pro bono referrals, supporting community access to legal services in suburban areas.
• Russell McVeaghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccepts referrals from Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley on a pro bono basis and provides volunteer lawyers for one weekly lunchtime session, contributing significantly to service delivery capacity.
• Simpson GriersoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHas a secondment arrangement with Community Law on a weekly basis, attending the Wellington office to assist with research and correspondence. Attends Lower Hutt office for weekly lunchtime sessions and supports the Refugee and Immigration team with pro bono assistance in refugee family reunification. Also accepts pro bono case work referrals.
• Thomas Dewar Sziranyi LettscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides lawyers for the prison roster, weekly outreach clinics in southern suburbs of Wellington, and one weekly session in the Hutt Valley office, supporting multiple service delivery channels.
• Kōkiri MaraecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvides venue for monthly legal advice clinics (1st and 3rd Thursday) delivered by Pou Whirinaki team for Māori communities. Marae-based service delivery aligns with kaupapa Māori framework.
• Ōrongomai MaraecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvides venue for weekly legal advice clinics (Tuesday 1.30pm-3pm) delivered by Pou Whirinaki team, supporting accessible services for Māori in the community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Community Law Centres o Aotearoa: National umbrella body that coordinates, advocates for, and channels Ministry of Justice funding to all Community Law Centres across New Zealand; structurally the closest possible peer because it shapes the funding and policy environment within which Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley operates.
• Citizens Advice Bureau New Zealand: National network of free, volunteer-staffed advice bureaus providing information and referral across legal, financial, and social issues; comparable on the free, volunteer-driven, multi-channel community advice model and on shared referral partnerships with Community Law Centres.
• Community Law Waikato: Waikato-based sister Community Law Centre offering free legal advice, education, and advocacy under the Community Law movement; directly comparable operating model and service mix, just in a different region.
• Community Law Canterbury: Sister Community Law Centre covering Christchurch and Canterbury; offers free legal advice clinics, outreach, and specialist services in family, tenancy, employment, and immigration. Operates within the same Community Law Centres o Aotearoa umbrella with comparable government funding dynamics.
• Community Law Auckland: Sister Community Law Centre serving the Auckland region under the same national Community Law movement; delivers free legal advice, advocacy, and outreach using an almost identical model, including specialist refugee/immigration and Māori services. Direct comparability on mission, funding mix, and service portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Auckland City Mission: Large Auckland-based social services charity providing food, housing, and social support to people in need; comparable scale of community service delivery to vulnerable populations and shared funding model (government grants, donations, philanthropy), but no legal services component.
• Women's Refuge New Zealand: National not-for-profit providing advocacy, support, and legal referral services specifically for women experiencing family violence; overlaps with Community Law's Advice Sessions for Women and family violence immigration work, but its scope and brand are broader and more specialized.

Regional players

• Wellington City Mission: Major Wellington-region charitable organization delivering social services to people in hardship including housing, food, and wellbeing support; directly comparable geography and overlapping vulnerable client base, though not a legal services provider.

Emerging players

• Howard League for Penal Reform New Zealand: NZ chapter of the Howard League focusing on criminal justice policy and prisoner welfare advocacy; relevant peer given Community Law's Rimutaka Prison legal support service and criminal restorative justice work, with overlap in target population and policy orientation.
• JustSpeak: New Zealand youth-led advocacy organization focused on criminal justice reform and the voices of young people in the justice system; partial overlap with Community Law's Rights Education Project, prison legal support, and restorative justice services, but more focused on systemic advocacy than direct legal advice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WCLCnz
• Instagraminstagram.com/communitylawwhv/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-law-wellington-and-hutt-valley-te-whare-ture-hapori

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley / Te Whare Ture Hapori