Tribunals

New Zealand has a range of tribunals to help people resolve disputes.

A tribunal is a specialised, independent decision-making body that is less formal than a court and is usually cheaper and can be faster than taking a case in the District Court.

The disputes they deal with can be about facts or the law or about specific cases.  

When prisoners or offenders are awarded money for wrongs that happened to them in the corrections or justice system, the victims of their crime can make a claim against that compensation.

The Victims’ Special Claims Tribunal decides whether or not a victim is entitled to any of the money awarded to the offender.

The amount the victim can claim is not limited to the amount of money awarded to the offender.

When a victim makes a claim, a District Court judge will decide whether or not they should get any of the offender’s compensation.

Victims' Special Claims Tribunal | Ministry of Justice(external link)

You can use the Disputes Tribunal to settle small claims up to $60,000. This could be disputes about car accidents, property, buying goods or services or business deals for example.

It isn't like a formal court. You usually represent yourself in a hearing - a lawyer can’t represent you, and there are no judges.

Fees to apply to the Disputes Tribunal depend on the amount the claim is for.

You can find a Disputes Tribunal at almost every District Court in New Zealand - they share the same contact details with the court.

You can find more information about other tribunals such as the Tenancy Tribunal here(external link)