Women's refuges say there is a shortage of lawyers who can help women once they have a safety order against their partner.
Police have issued 289 safety orders in domestic violence situations since the legal tool was created in July.
Officers have the power to issue safety orders if they fear for a victim's safety but do not have enough evidence to make an arrest.
Police Minister Judith Collins says the safety orders are an important tool for police, who often struggle to get victims to provide evidence for full court orders.
But the numbers indicate a slow start to the system, as police earlier had estimated up to 20,000 safety orders a year would be issued.
The chief executive of the Independent Women's Refuges Collective, Heather Henare, says there are not enough trained family lawyers who can quickly intervene once an order is placed.
"Obviously these orders are taken up to five days. If you get someone who has got an order for three days or two days, then it's a pretty fast turnaround to access a lawyer - especially in some of the areas where they have to travel to seek legal advice."
Ms Henare says safety orders are creating new clients for organisations like hers to work with, but there has not been any funding for this work.
