The 2026 Budget and the legal sector

• Budget 2026, delivered by the Hon Nicola Willis on 28 May 2026, includes several measures relating to legal aid, court infrastructure and justice system resourcing. 
  
  
• Time-limited funding of $30.28 million has been allocated in 2026/27 for legal aid to meet ongoing demand and costs while the Accessible and Affordable Justice Programme progresses following the 2025 Triennial Legal Aid Review.  The Accessible and Affordable Justice Programme is a Ministry of Justice work programme that sits alongside the legal aid review process, and is examining issues such as sustainability, eligibility, provider remuneration, and system efficiency. 
  
  
• Two new purpose-built courthouses are planned for Rotorua: one for the Rotorua Law Courts and one for the Rotorua Māori Land Court. Construction of the Rotorua Law Courts is expected to begin in 2027 with $100 million set aside for the new court facilities. They are expected to be operational by 2030.
  
  
• Funding of $46.331 million over four years has been allocated to establish and operate a Planning Tribunal, which will be created as part of wider resource management reform. The Environment (Disestablishment of the Ministry for the Environment) Amendment Bill was passed on 27 May 2025.
  
  
• Additional time-limited funding of $12.154 million in 2026/27 has been provided to address demand-driven pressures on courts and coronial services, including specialist reports and professional services directed by the courts.
  
  
• The Budget provides funding for the Department of Corrections | Te Ara Poutama Aotearoa for a prisoner population of 12,118 by the end of 2026/27, including $477.130 million over four years for Corrections to meet associated costs and staffing requirements.
  
  
• Funding of $44.9 million will go towards implementing the new Arms Act and establish Firearms Safety and Education New Zealand, the new independent firearms regulator. The funding will enable the separation of firearms regulation from Police. Approximately $4.7 million of the funding will go towards establishing the new Firearms Licensing Review Committee, which the Courts and Associate Justice Minister, Nicole McKee says will give “…licensed firearm owners access to an independent forum to challenge decisions made by the regulator”.