a representative of any non-profit group that provides services and facilities for the welfare of the people covered by the Act
the superintendent, licensee, supervisor or person in charge, if the person is a patient or a resident of a hospital, home or other institution
the welfare guardian of the person concerned, if one has been appointed
any other person with the court's permission.
The court can only make an Order for people who live in New Zealand. They must be at least 18 years old; if they’re younger, they must have been married or in a civil union or de factor relationship.
The person must either:
be completely or partly unable to understand what the decision is about, or to understand what could happen as a result of a decision about their property
have these abilities but be totally unable to make decisions (or say what they want) about how their property is to be managed.
More than one person can be appointed as a property manager. In this case, the managers have a joint responsibility unless the court decides otherwise. The court can also appoint a trustee corporation as a property manager.
If a decision needs to be made urgently, you can file a 'without notice' application to the court for a temporary order which can last up to 3 months. This can happen while you’re waiting for the court to finalise your application. A specialist lawyer will be urgently appointed to report to the court before a judge considers making an Interim Order. They will contact you about your application and whether an urgent order is necessary.
If you think you need urgent help, you may want to see a lawyer about making an urgent application for you.
After the court receives your application for an Order, it will appoint a specialist lawyer who will meet with the person the Order is about and you. The lawyer will tell the court why the application has been made and what should happen next. The judge may decide to: