Legal Issues Centre Survey

Thank you to everybody who took the time to complete the survey on the New Zealand court system we sent out in March 2009.

We had a great response with 1875 surveys returned to us. We have detailed some of the findings from the survey below. If you have any comments or questions about our research please email Dr Saskia Righarts (saskia.righarts@otago.ac.nz) or alternatively call us on (03) 479 4961.

New Zealander’s Views of Our Court System

1. Your views on the affordability of lawyers and legal costs

You can see from the two figures below that a high proportion of our respondents disagreed that lawyers are affordable and that New Zealanders can afford to take cases to court.

The responses to the question: “I think I could hire a lawyer if I needed help with a legal issue.”

The responses to the question: “I believe the average New Zealander can afford to bring a case to court.”

2. Your views on court processes and court efficiency

You can see below that in general our respondents believe that they would get a fair hearing in our court system and that they know where to go to get legal information. In contrast, most of our respondents disagreed that cases are heard in a timely manner.

The responses to the question: “ I believe I would get a fair hearing in the New Zealand Court System.”

The responses to the question: “If I had a legal question, I would know where to go for help.”

The responses to the question: “I believe my case would be completed in a reasonable time if I went to court.”

3. Your views on lawyers

You can see from the three figures below that our respondents generally agreed that lawyers are honest, competent and act in their client’s best interests.

The responses to the question: “If I hired a lawyer, I would trust him or her to act in my best interests.”

The responses to the question: “In general, I think New Zealand lawyers are competent to do their jobs.”

The responses to the question: “I general, I think New Zealand lawyers behave honestly.”

4. Your views on judges

The figure below shows that our respondents generally agreed that judges treat people with respect.

The responses to the question: “In general, I think New Zealand judges treat people with respect.”