Confidential legal aid details of a Bay man accused of breaching community work were mistakenly sent to a woman in a major privacy breach . The Katikati man 's name , address and what his case was about were contained in a letter sent to a Tauranga mother who had applied for legal aid for her daughter . Private details of two other men from outside the region were also sent to the woman about their legal aid applications - the documents relate to legal representation at parole hearings . The woman contacted the Bay of Plenty Times yesterday , speaking on the basis that she was not named . She said she was " horrified " to discover the letters among documents sent to her by the Ministry of Justice 's Legal Aid Office in Rotorua . The Bay of Plenty Times has sighted the letters . The letter addressed to a Katikati man confirmed his application for legal aid had been granted . The woman who received the documents said she had lodged a legal aid application for her daughter , over a drink - driving case . She learned by letter the application had been declined and put it aside . Last week , she discovered the three other letters . " If it was just one letter , I probably would n't have thought anything more about it but there was three other people 's private information and I know if it was me I would want to know my privacy has been breached and someone is held accountable for what 's happened . " I really thought , given all the other recent privacy breaches , government agencies would have upped their game and put in place stricter processes , so things like this do n't happen . " The 39 - year - old Katikati man at the centre of the blunder said he was " blown away " when contacted last night : " It 's come as a huge shock and at the moment I do n't know what I can do about the damage this has caused me , but I will be seeking some legal advice , for sure . " The man 's lawyer could not be contacted for comment . Porirua - based lawyer Mary More , who represents the other two men , said she would take instructions from her clients before commenting further . The latest case comes after a series of blunders involving privacy breaches by government departments , including Immigration NZ , ACC , the Ministry of Social Development , IRD , Environment Ministry and the Earthquake Commission . Last month an Earthquake Commission claims manager accidentally sent a spreadsheet containing 98,000 claimants ' confidential details to an insurance advocate . In October , up to 700 Work and Income self - service kiosks were left unsecured , meaning private information was accessible to anyone who used them . Last night Justice Minister Judith Collins said protection of personal information must be taken seriously : " We expect all agencies to treat such information carefully and respectfully . However , if someone receives information that is clearly not intended for them , then the appropriate thing to do is to give it back . " . Legal Aid Services general manager Michele McCreadie said it appeared a staffer had mistakenly included more than one letter in one envelope . The ministry had been alerted . Labour Party spokeswoman Sue Moroney , also its ACC spokeswoman , said : " This Government proudly cut back office functions right across the public service and they wonder why privacy breaches and administration mistakes are happening on an almost daily basis . " ;