A 25% decrease in the number of lawyers providing family legal aid services and a 12% decrease in criminal legal aid providers over the last five years is shown in information released by Associate Justice Minister Simon Bridges.
Mr Bridges has released the information in response to a series of parliamentary written questions from Green Party MP David Clendon.
He was asked to give the total number of solicitors providing legal aid services in a number of areas of law between 1 July 2011 and 1 July 2016.
Mr Bridges' response says the question has been interpreted to be for each financial year.
Barristers and solicitors providing legal aid services, year to 30 June
| Services | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | Change |
| Criminal | 810 | 819 | 812 | 827 | 919 | -11.9% |
| Family | 749 | 781 | 835 | 882 | 1004 | -25.4% |
| Civil | 199 | 203 | 289 | 343 | 433 | -54.0% |
| Refugee and protected persons | 22 | 23 | 25 | 28 | 25 | -12.0% |
| Mental health | 144 | 141 | 155 | 157 | 157 | -8.3% |
The information was also requested on a regional basis. The following summary shows the change for each region between 2012 and 2016, and the proportion of total lawyers in each region who were providing legal aid in the year to 30 June 2016.
Barristers and solicitors providing Criminal legal aid services, year to 30 June
| Region | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | Change | % Total 2016 |
| Auckland | 252 | 253 | 240 | 240 | 263 | -4.2% | 31.1% |
| Bay of Plenty | 74 | 72 | 74 | 71 | 72 | 2.8% | 9.1% |
| Canterbury | 90 | 87 | 90 | 95 | 118 | -23.7% | 11.1% |
| Gisborne | 23 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 15.0% | 2.8% |
| Hawke's Bay | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 29 | -24.1% | 2.7% |
| Manawatu/Whanganui | 34 | 38 | 37 | 36 | 42 | -19.0% | 4.2% |
| Marlborough | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 11 | -27.3% | 1.0% |
| Nelson | 20 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 5.3% | 2.5% |
| Northland | 34 | 36 | 41 | 42 | 45 | -24.4% | 4.2% |
| Otago | 40 | 41 | 40 | 42 | 56 | -28.6% | 4.9% |
| Southland | 18 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | -5.3% | 2.2% |
| Taranaki | 20 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 22 | -9.1% | 2.5% |
| Tasman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 0.0% |
| Waikato | 67 | 69 | 75 | 73 | 76 | -11.8% | 8.3% |
| Wellington | 103 | 107 | 104 | 111 | 119 | -13.4% | 12.7% |
| West Coast | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 25.0% | 0.6% |
| Not specified | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -100.0% | 0.0% |
| TOTAL | 810 | 819 | 812 | 827 | 919 | -11.9% | 100.0% |
Barristers and solicitors providing Family legal aid services, year to 30 June
| Region | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | Change | % Total 2016 |
| Auckland | 176 | 194 | 206 | 213 | 246 | -28.5% | 23.5% |
| Bay of Plenty | 83 | 81 | 82 | 76 | 87 | -4.6% | 11.1% |
| Canterbury | 91 | 93 | 100 | 103 | 136 | -33.1% | 12.1% |
| Gisborne | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 7.1% | 2.0% |
| Hawke's Bay | 34 | 39 | 35 | 39 | 43 | -20.9% | 4.5% |
| Manawatu/Whanganui | 44 | 36 | 41 | 51 | 53 | -17.0% | 5.9% |
| Marlborough | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 14 | -64.3% | 0.7% |
| Nelson | 28 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 0.0% | 3.7% |
| Northland | 27 | 27 | 33 | 35 | 41 | -34.1% | 3.6% |
| Otago | 39 | 49 | 58 | 60 | 73 | -46.6% | 5.2% |
| Southland | 21 | 21 | 26 | 28 | 25 | -16.0% | 2.8% |
| Taranaki | 25 | 25 | 29 | 29 | 38 | -34.2% | 3.3% |
| Tasman | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Waikato | 71 | 67 | 73 | 73 | 86 | -17.4% | 9.5% |
| Wellington | 84 | 92 | 94 | 115 | 112 | -25.0% | 11.2% |
| West Coast | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | -16.7% | 0.7% |
| Not specified | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -100.0% | 0.0% |
| TOTAL | 749 | 781 | 835 | 882 | 1004 | -25.4% | 100.0% |
Barristers and solicitors providing Civil legal aid services, year to 30 June
| Region | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | Change | % Total 2016 |
| Auckland | 52 | 49 | 74 | 101 | 118 | -55.9% | 26.1% |
| Bay of Plenty | 19 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 47 | -59.6% | 9.5% |
| Canterbury | 20 | 18 | 27 | 32 | 41 | -51.2% | 10.1% |
| Gisborne | 2 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 7 | -71.4% | 1.0% |
| Hawke's Bay | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 23 | -65.2% | 4.0% |
| Manawatu/Whanganui | 6 | 8 | 13 | 19 | 24 | -75.0% | 3.0% |
| Marlborough | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -66.7% | 0.5% |
| Nelson | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | -25.0% | 3.0% |
| Northland | 7 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 19 | -63.2% | 3.5% |
| Otago | 11 | 11 | 17 | 22 | 25 | -56.0% | 5.5% |
| Southland | 6 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 13 | -53.8% | 3.0% |
| Taranaki | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 13 | -30.8% | 4.5% |
| Tasman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 0.0% |
| Waikato | 14 | 15 | 24 | 24 | 27 | -48.1% | 7.0% |
| Wellington | 37 | 37 | 50 | 52 | 62 | -40.3% | 18.6% |
| West Coast | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -50.0% | 0.5% |
| Not specified | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -100.0% | 0.0% |
| TOTAL | 199 | 203 | 289 | 343 | 433 | -54.0% | 100.0% |
Major changes were made to the legal aid system in 2011, with a tightening of eligibility criteria, the introduction of fixed fees and a rotational assignment system.