This section includes information about the AODT Court, the participant referral process, how the AODT Legal Services team works together, and explains the role and responsibilities of an AODT lawyer.
The primary intention of the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment (AODT) Court is to reduce drug use and associated offending through an interagency approach, supervising the defendant and providing them with treatment programmes and life skills support.
A video on how the AODT Court operates for the participant can be viewed on our Ministry website at:
A Navigator tool for more information on the Interagency approach has also been created and can be viewed on our Ministry website at:
Court Navigator tool(external link)
The AODT Court has a dedicated Legal Services Team. Each AODT Court site a roster of up to four counsel and a Team Leader, which forms the AODT Legal Services Team for that site.
Lawyers in the AODT Legal Services Teams must hold a Duty lawyer approval and a minimum criminal PAL1: Experience Level 2 legal aid approval.
Legal Aid Services maintains a list of Counsel who have expressed interest and are recognised as having suitable previous experience in providing legal services within the AODT Courts. For further information on the appointment process, or to express interest, please email legalaidprovider@justice.govt.nz
Court rosters are prepared by Legal Aid Services. Further information on the rostering policy and appointment process can be found in the AODT Operational Policy below.
This policy describes the operation of the AODT Court and includes:
AODT Operational policy [PDF, 304 KB]
The Practice and Procedure manual will be provided directly to the rostered AODT Court lawyers.