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Taonga Māori

Translation of court documents into te reo

Overview

Can I get court documents translated into Māori?

District Court Rules 2014, rule 1.16; Family Court Rules 2002, rule 131; High Court Rules 2016, rule 1.12

In civil (non-criminal) cases in the District and High Courts, and in Family Court cases, you have the right to have documents from the other side translated into te reo Māori, but only if you satisfy the court registrar that you won’t be able to read them unless they’re translated. If you want to apply for the registrar to order this, you have to apply within 10 working days after you receive the document. If the registrar does order a translation, it will be the other side’s responsibility to have the document translated. The court also has the discretion to order translation of a document into te reo even if you have haven’t applied for this.

Criminal Procedure Rules 2012, rule 1.10

In criminal cases, you can apply for the prosecution documents to be translated into te reo, and the judge or court registrar can order this if you’ve satisfied them that you won’t be able to read the documents otherwise – but you don’t have a right to this. Again, you have to apply within 10 working days after receiving the documents, and the judge has the discretion to order a translation even if you haven’t applied for it.

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Te reo Māori (in English)

Where to go for more support

Community Law

www.communitylaw.org.nz

Your local Community Law Centre can provide you with free initial legal advice about your rights under the Māori Language Act.

Ministry of Justice

www.justice.govt.nz

Official forms

For all cases except civil (non-criminal) cases in the District and High Court (see below), download the form “Notice of Intention to Speak Māori” from: www.justice.govt.nz

For civil cases in the District Court, visit the local court and ask for Form 4, “Notice of Intention to Speak Māori”

For civil cases in the High Court, visit the local court and ask for Form G 12, “Notice of Intention to Speak Māori”

Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori/Māori Language Commission

www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz

The Commission’s website has a range of information and resources.

Te Puni Kōkiri

www.tpk.govt.nz

Te Puni Kōkiri is the principal advisor on Government-Māori relationships. They monitor policy and legislation, and they provide government with high quality policy advice.

Te Mātāwai

www.tematawai.maori.nz

Te Mātāwai is an independent body which represents iwi and Māori in providing input into Māori language strategy and investment. Te Mātāwai will provide leadership in promoting the health of te reo for iwi and Māori, including at the community level, and will also support and influence government initiatives aimed at promoting te reo.

The Legal Māori Resource Hub

www.legalmaori.net

Explore how Māori language has been used in legal contexts over nearly two centuries. Includes a Dictionary of Māori legal terms and the Legal Māori Corpus.

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