Legal Services Commissioner
Justice Centre I 19 Aitken Street I DX SX10125 I Wellington
T 04 918 8800 I F 04 918 8820
[email address]
29 September 2025
John Smith
[FYI request #32209 email]
Our ref: OIA 125640
Tēnā koe John
Official Information Act request: Legal aid mileage-based travel disbursements
Thank you for your email of 3 September 2025, requesting information on legal aid mileage-
based travel disbursements. Specifically, you requested the following numbered for ease of
responding:
1.
The total number of kilometers claimed by providers for reimbursement for the last
5 financial years (01/07/2019 - 30/06/2025).
2. The per kilometer reimbursement rate for each period and the total dollar value of
the reimbursement paid.
3. The current per kilometer reimbursement rates from 1 July 2025.
Your request has been referred to me for a response, as it falls within my responsibilities as
Acting Legal Services Commissioner and is being managed in accordance with the
provisions of the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
On 8 September 2025, the Ministry of Justice (the Ministry), contacted you to clarify your
request under section 15 of the Act. We requested that you specify which legal aid
jurisdiction you are seeking data for.
You confirmed that your request could be clarified to the following:
… lawyers who are contracted by and are paid by legal aid to deliver legal services in
the criminal, family, and civil jurisdictions.
In response to requests one and two, please see Table 1 (attached) for the total number of
kilometres and amount approved for legal aid mileage-based travel disbursements, by
financial year, between 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2025.
In response to request three, this information is publicly available on the Ministry’s website:
What’s New for lawyers providing Legal Aid. This states that the Legal Aid mileage rate is
$1.17 per kilometre or $1.26 per kilometre for diesel vehicles, applicable for travel claims
from 1 July 2025. The mileage rate for diesel vehicles was more recently added as a result
of feedback to reflect the varied rates by vehicle type introduced by IRD this financial year.
You may also find the information on travel disbursements from page 126 on the
Legal Aid
Grants Handbook useful. Further, you can call 0800 2 LEGAL AID (0800 253 425) if you
have questions on legal aid in general.
Please note that this response, with your personal details removed, may be published on the
Ministry website at:
Official Information Act responses. If you are not satisfied with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman under section 28 of the Act. The Office of the Ombudsman may be contacted
by phone on: 0800 802 602, by email at: [email address], or via the
webform:
Make a complaint. Nāku noa, nā
Louisa Carroll
Acting, Legal Services Commissioner
Table 1: Total number of kilometres and amounts approved for legal aid mileage-based travel disbursements, by financial year,
between 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2025
ACT 1982
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24
2024/25
Kilometres approved (km)
1,306,963
1,592,961
1,074,345
1,334,691
1,498,376
1,810,070
Amount Approved (Excl. GST)
$1,022,110
$1,272,402
$853,543
$1,115,044
$1,326,222
$1,618,844
Amount Approved (Incl. GST)
$1,174,759
$1,462,842
$981,328
$1,281,442
$1,525,073
$1,861,418
Table 1 notes:
• This data is extracted from a live dataset that is used for operational purposes, meaning the data will be updated with late data entry.
Therefore, this data may differ to data reported elsewhere with a different extraction date. These tables were extracted on 23
September 2025.
INFORMATION
• This data is limited to legal aid travel disbursements with:
o
a disbursement unit in kilometres.
o
a disbursement types of “Travel - Personal Car” and ''Travel - Personal Car – Necessary”.
o
an approved amount above zero.
• This data excludes:
o
reversed or credited invoices, and
o
Duty Lawyer and Police Detention Legal Assistance travel disbursements.
• Not all providers are GST registered, GST included for those providers that are.
RELEASED UNDER THE OFFICIAL
