In describing current legal aid schemes, civil legal aid, offenders' legal aid, and the functions of the duty solicitor are introduced with a formal description of their objectives, scope, nature, and administration. The bulk of each chapter then portrays how the various legal aid schemes function in practice and reports on the assessment of the services by the various groups involved in delivering or using the services. Also included are findings from national surveys of 1979 civil legal aid files and defendants charged with imprisonable offenses in 1979. Legal aid services provided by voluntary and nongovernmental agencies are considered, although sparse information on them does not permit an authoritative evaluation of their effectiveness. Concepts of legal need and access to legal services are discussed and related to the New Zealand setting, and alternative delivery systems developed in other countries are described. The concluding chapter presents proposals for New Zealand's future legal assistance programs. Generally, current legal aid services in New Zealand are deemed to be too narrow and inflexible. The proposals presented serve to expand legal services to provide access to legal redress and defense for all persons who cannot presently afford such access. Associated research reports are appended. A bibliography of 55 listings is provided.