The Education Act 1989 has recently been repealed and replaced by the Education and Training Act 2020 (see http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/0038/latest/LMS170676.html.) YouthLaw is in the process of updating this page to reflect the new law. Please be aware that the law, as stated on this webpage, may not be current. If you need advice please email legal@youthlaw.co.nz or call us and leave a voice-message at 0800 884 529.
YouthLaw Aotearoa provides free education sessions to groups of children and young people or those working with them. We do this in person for young people and increasingly by webinar for adults across the country.
While all education sessions are free, we do appreciate koha towards the funding of our service. We kindly ask those requesting in-person education sessions outside Auckland to reimburse our travel costs. In addition, all confirmations are subject to availability on a first-come-first-served basis. All our education sessions are delivered by experienced educators with extensive legal knowledge.
Contact us to book an education session: phone 0800 884 529 or email community@youthlaw.co.nz
Interactive workshops
Our interactive workshops are designed to be fun but also informative and educational for the children and young people attending. We provide a general introduction to law or rights or focus on a specific area depending on the needs of participants. Workshops are highly flexible and can be provided regularly or on a rotational basis such as on school health days. We also cater to groups with specific needs, such as the young deaf community, young people in the care of Oranga Tamariki, or those with experiences of mental illness.
Current topics include:
- Sex and Consent
- Cyberbullying
- Rights with police
- Discrimination
- Education
- Legal ages
- UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Training sessions
Training sessions are intended to teach a specific skill to small, motivated groups of individuals. This includes topics such as submission writing for a youth council, youth advocacy for youth workers or youth counsellors, or guidance on confidentiality and privacy requirements for guidance counsellors and school nurses. We also provide training to lawyers, social workers, and school boards of trustees.
Legal talks
More informal in nature, legal talks are intended for small focus groups e.g. parent support groups, student organisations, government, and non-government organisations. Topics include our service and our approach to child rights and a range of legal topics that primarily affect young people. Talks focus on informal discussion and Q&A.