The bill amends legal services law to remove legal aid funding for a report or statement prepared by a person called by an offender under section 27 of the Sentencing Act 2002. Section 27 reports themselves remain available, but would no longer be funded through legal aid.
Parliament advanced this bill under urgency (committee of whole house, first reading, second reading, third reading) — moving it through faster than usual, with less time than normal for public submissions.
These are claims MPs made in Parliament’s debate — not verified facts.
This bill amends legal services law to remove legal aid funding for a report or statement prepared under section 27 of the Sentencing Act 2002 — often called a “cultural report.” Such a report lets an offender bring information to sentencing about their personal, family, cultural and community background, and any systemic factors, so a judge can weigh possible mitigating circumstances. The bill leaves section 27 itself intact, so these reports can still be prepared and presented — but they would no longer be paid for through legal aid. It affects legally aided offenders, the providers who prepare the reports, and sentencing judges who rely on them.
The change reflects a coalition commitment and was framed as a cost-saving measure, with the funding involved estimated at around $7 million. Supporters argue public money should not fund reports they see as inconsistently used to reduce sentences. Opponents argue it undermines equal access to justice, since poorer defendants — disproportionately Māori — may no longer afford reports that help courts understand deprivation and background.
See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.