Justice Minister Simon Power says the government will set up a service centre to help victims of crime access compensation.
He is planning to introduce legislation to Parliament next month to set up a victim compensation scheme, as set out in the National Party's election policy.
The scheme will be paid for by a $50 levy on all offenders, and also by the money that would have gone to two justice boards that are being disbanded. They are the Sentencing Council, with a budget of $5.8 million, and the Criminal Justice Advisory Board which costs $90,000 to run.
Mr Power says he is confident the Ministry of Justice will be able to set it up with little extra cost.
He says the service centre will be a central point for victims to access information about the scheme.
