This section has resources for Police Detention Legal Assistance (PDLA) providers. It includes information about the operation of the PDLA service and responsibilities of PDLA providers.
The PDLA service operates under the authority of the Secretary for Justice as a specified legal service pursuant to s 68(2)(b) of the Legal Services Act 2011.
Approval to provide PDLA services
Lawyers seeking PDLA approval listing should contact Provider Services for more information:
The PDLA approval application must include telephone number/s to ensure 24-hour accessibility and a description of the area or town/s where they are available to attend.
Management of PDLA rosters
The Operations Support Workforce team administers both rosters and lists for the PDLA service, as follows:
a roster for greater Auckland, which is structured by type of legal matter
rosters for Northland and Hamilton city, which are not structured by type of legal matter
lists for the remaining areas.
The Operations Support Workforce team provides NZ Police with the most up-to-date rosters or lists. For locations where a roster is in place, a PDLA lawyer must advise the Operations Support Workforce team as soon as possible if they are unable to attend any rostered session.
The PDLA Holiday Roster for 2025/26 is now available below, along with our guidelines and invoice form. We encourage you to read this thoroughly and note your rostered shifts.
Please note that this roster is only valid from 6pm Friday 12th December 2025 until 6am Monday 5th of January 2026 and will replace the regular PDLA roster content. Outside of this timeframe, the regular regional PDLA rosters are in effect and will display as normal.
If you have any questions regarding the PDLA Holiday Roster, contact us at pdla@justice.govt.nz.
PDLA operational policy
This policy describes the operation of the PDLA service and includes:
information about the PDLA service
responsibilities of PDLA Lawyers
obtaining PDLA approval
assignment as a result of PDLA
travel
submitting invoices
forms and attendances
payment for PDLA services
guidelines for when to make face to face attendances.