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Get help (for the public) (text alternative)

Rapu Āwhina (mō te iwi whānui)

This is a text version for our interactive widget Get help (for the public). It is provided as a text alternative to support assistive technology as well as older browsers and older mobile devices.

For more information, or to use the interactive widget, please go to Get help (for the public). 

 

Table of contents

  • I want to make a complaint about a private company which is supplying faulty goods or services

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. You have rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act and Fair Trading Act. You can talk to your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

    Citizens Advice Bureau
    Phone: 0800 367 222 
    www.cab.org.nz

  • I want to make a complaint about a private company which is a bank or other financial institution

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. There are four separate dispute resolution schemes which deal with complaints against financial service providers. All four dispute resolution agencies are approved by the Minister of Consumer Affairs and regulated under the FSP (DRS) Act. All four have equivalent status.

    Each scheme deals with different providers so look on the Financial Services Providers register to see which dispute resolution scheme your bank or financial institution is part of. These are:

    Banking Ombudsman
    Freephone: 0800 805 950
    Email: [email protected]
    www.bankomb.org.nz

    Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman
    Freephone: 0800 888 202
    Email: [email protected]
    https://www.ifso.nz/

    Financial Services Complaints Ltd
    Freephone: 0800 347 257
    Email: [email protected]
    www.fscl.org.nz

    Financial Dispute Resolution
    Freephone: 0508 337 337
    Email: [email protected]
    www.fdrs.org.nz 

  • I want to make a complaint about a private company which is using misleading ads or claims

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help.

    You may be able to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority. Their contact details are:

    Advertising Standards Authority
    Freephone: 0800 234 357
    https://www.asa.co.nz/ 

    You have rights under the Fair Trading Act and can talk to the Commerce Commission. Their contact details are: 

    The Commerce Commission
    Freephone: 0800 943 600
    https://comcom.govt.nz/

  • I want to make a complaint about a private company which is a debt collector

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. Under the Fair Trading Act, you can talk to: 

    Commerce Commission 
    Freephone: 0800 943 600 
    Email: [email protected]
    www.comcom.govt.nz 

    The New Zealand Collectors Association 
    Freephone: 0800 505 101 

    For more information about debt collection and your rights, see the Debt Collection page on MBIE's Consumer Protection website or the Credit and debt management page on the Citizens Advice Bureau's website. 

  • I want to make a complaint about an employment dispute

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. An Ombudsman cannot investigate an employment dispute, even where a government agency is the employer, as the employee has a right to seek a hearing by the Employment Relations Authority and the Employment Court. You will need to talk to: 

    MBIE, Employment Relations, Workplace Contact Centre 
    Freephone: 0800 20 90 20
    www.employment.govt.nz

  • I want to make a complaint about a private company which is a power or gas company

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. You will need to talk to Utilities Disputes, which deals with complaints about a number of electricity and gas providers. Their contact details are: 

    Utilities Disputes
    FreePost: 192682
    PO Box 5875
    Wellington 6140
    Freephone: 0800 22 33 40 or (04) 914 4630
    Email: [email protected]
    www.utilitiesdisputes.co.nz/

  • I want to make a complaint about a lawyer or judge in New Zealand

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. An Ombudsman can't investigate complaints about lawyers, judges or court proceedings. Depending on what you need help with, there are several organisations that can help.

    Lawyers

    If your complaint is about a lawyer you can talk to the Lawyers Complaints Service, which is part of the New Zealand Law Society. 

    Lawyers Complaints Service
    PO Box 5041
    Lambton Quay
    Wellington 6145
    Freephone: 0800 261801
    Email: [email protected]
    www.lawsociety.org.nz

    Legal aid lawyer

    If your complaint is about a legal aid lawyer you can talk to Legal Aid Complaints, which is part of the Ministry of Justice, and/or the Lawyers Complaints Service.

    Legal Aid Complaints
    Provider and Community Services
    Ministry of Justice
    Postal address: Level 3, The Vogel Centre, 19 Aitken Street, Wellington 6011
    Email: [email protected]

    Public Defence Service lawyers

    If your complaint is about a Public Defence Service lawyer, you can contact:

    • The Public Defence Service complaints service
    • Legal Aid Complaints, which is a part of the Ministry of Justice and/or
    • The Lawyers Complaints Service.

    Public Defence Service
    Email: [email protected]

    Judicial conduct

    If your complaint is about something that happened in Court, this must be dealt with through the Court itself. You will need to talk to a lawyer. If you don't have a lawyer, you can contact your local community law centre for advice. 

    Complaints about the conduct of Judges may be made to the Judicial Conduct Commissioner:

    Office of the Judicial Conduct Commissioner
    PO Box 2661, Wellington
    Freephone: 0800 800 323
    Email: [email protected]
    www.jcc.govt.nz

  • I want to make a complaint about a private company which is a telecommunications provider

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. You may wish to contact Telecommunications Dispute Resolution (TDR), which deals with complaints against a number of telecommunications providers: 

    Telecommunications Dispute Resolution
    PO Box 5573
    Wellington 6145
    Freephone: 0508 989898
    Email: [email protected]
    www.tdr.org.nz

  • I want to make a complaint about a request for information which is personal information (mine or a client's)

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. If you need personal information about yourself or your client, your request must be considered under the Privacy Act 1993 (PA). The Privacy Commissioner may be able to help.

    The Privacy Commissioner’s contact details are:

    Privacy Commissioner
    PO Box 10-094
    The Terrace
    Wellington 6143
    Freephone: 0800 803 909
    Email: [email protected]
    www.privacy.org.nz

  • I want to make a complaint about a request for information which is personal information about a company

    The Ombudsman may be able to help you if you are looking for personal information about your or your client's company. 

    Read the guide about requests by corporate entities for their personal information.

    Make a complaint using the online complaints form

  • I want to make a complaint about an education provider

    The Ombudsman may be able to help with complaints against public education providers, e.g.:

    • boards of trustees of state and integrated schools
    • universities
    • polytechnics and 
    • wānanga.

    The Ombudsman cannot help with complaints against private education providers, e.g. private schools and tertiary education institutions. 

    Find out more about how the Ombudsman looks at complaints, the investigation process, and how to make a complaint to the Ombudsman.

    You should always try to resolve your complaint with the education provider first, otherwise the Ombudsman may not be able to investigate.

    If you have tried to resolve your complaint with the education provider and it hasn't worked, you can ask the Ombudsman to help you resolve it by making a complaint using the online complaints form.

  • I want to make a complaint about a government agency's actions

    The Ombudsman may be able to help you.

    Find out more about how the Ombudsman looks at complaints, the investigation processhow to make a complaint to the Ombudsman and complaining for someone else

    You should always try to resolve your complaint with the government agency first, otherwise the Ombudsman may not be able to investigate. 

    If you have tried to resolve your complaint with the agency and it hasn't worked, make a complaint using the online form.

  • I want to make a complaint about a request for information which is general information

    The Ombudsman may be able to help. 

    New Zealand law sets out what you can request and how agencies need to respond. If you aren’t happy with the response you get, then you can complain to the Ombudsman by using the online complaints form.

  • I want to make a complaint about something else

    See the Complaints A-Z page first to see if your issue is listed there. This page contains a list of other organisations who may be able to help you.   

    If not, you'll need to give a bit more information to find out if the Ombudsman can help you. Please call 0800 802 602 (+64 4 473 9533), or email [email protected]

  • I want to make a complaint about service I got from the Ombudsman

    Please email [email protected] with details of your concerns.

    If you have one, include your complaint reference number.

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about a request for information which is general information

    You can request official information from Ministers, central government agencies and local government agencies.

    Also see the guide on making official information requests.

    The Ombudsman may be able to help you. Please call 0800 802 602 (+64 4 473 9533) or email [email protected].

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about report serious wrongdoing

     If you believe there is serious wrongdoing in your workplace, see the guide on making a protected disclosure and call 0800 802 602 (+64 4 473 9533). Your details will be taken and your call returned in a confidential conversation. The Ombudsman can advise you about whistleblowing for both public and private organisations. 

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about places of detention

    The Ombudsman's OPCAT inspection teams visit prisons and other detention facilities.

    For more information, or to find out who else can help, please call 0800 802 602 (+64 4 473 9533).

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about a private company which is a bank or other financial institution

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. There are four separate dispute resolution schemes which deal with complaints against financial service providers. All four dispute resolution agencies are approved by the Minister of Consumer Affairs and regulated under the FSP (DRS) Act. All four have equivalent status.

    Each scheme deals with different providers. You will need to talk to the dispute resolution scheme your bank or financial institution is part of. These are:
     
    Banking Ombudsman
    Freephone: 0800 805 950
    Email: [email protected]
    www.bankomb.org.nz

    Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman
    Freephone: 0800 888 202
    Email: [email protected]
    https://www.ifso.nz/

    Financial Services Complaints Ltd
    Freephone: 0800 347 257
    Email: [email protected]
    www.fscl.org.nz

    Financial Dispute Resolution
    Freephone: 0508 337 337
    Email: [email protected]
    www.fdrs.org.nz

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about a private company which is a debt collector

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help.

    For more information about debt collection and your rights, see the Debt collection page on MBIE's Consumer Protection website or the Credit and debt management page on the Citizens Advice Bureau's website.

    You can also talk to: 

    Commerce Commission 
    Freephone: 0800 943 600 
    Email: [email protected]
    www.comcom.govt.nz 

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about a private company which is supplying faulty goods or services

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. You have rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act and Fair Trading Act. You can talk to your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

    Citizens Advice Bureau
    Phone: 0800 367 222 
    www.cab.org.nz

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about a private company which is using misleading ads or claims

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help.

    You may be able to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority. Their contact details are:

    Advertising Standards Authority
    Freephone: 0800 234 357
    https://www.asa.co.nz/ 

    You have rights under the Fair Trading Act and can talk to the Commerce Commission. Their contact details are: 

    The Commerce Commission
    Freephone: 0800 943 600
    https://comcom.govt.nz/

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about an employment dispute

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. An Ombudsman cannot investigate an employment dispute, even where a government agency is the employer, as the employee has a right to seek a hearing by the Employment Relations Authority and the Employment Court. You will need to talk to: 

    MBIE, Employment Relations, Workplace Contact Centre 
    Freephone: 0800 20 90 20
    www.employment.govt.nz

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about a private company which is a telecommunications provider

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. You may wish to contact Telecommunications Dispute Resolution (TDR), which deals with complaints against a number of telecommunications providers: 

    Telecommunications Dispute Resolution
    PO Box 5573
    Wellington 6145
    Freephone: 0508 989898
    Email: [email protected]
    www.tdr.org.nz

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about a private company which is a power or gas company

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. You will need to talk to Utilities Disputes, which deals with complaints about a number of electricity and gas providers. Their contact details are: 

    Utilities Disputes
    FreePost: 192682
    PO Box 5875
    Wellington 6140
    Freephone: 0800 22 33 40 or (04) 914 4630
    Email: [email protected]
    www.utilitiesdisputes.co.nz/

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about a lawyer or judge in New Zealand

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. An Ombudsman can't investigate complaints about lawyers, judges or court proceedings. Depending on what you need help with, there are several organisations that can help.

    Lawyers

    If your complaint is about a lawyer, you can talk to the Lawyers Complaints Service, which is part of the New Zealand Law Society. 

    Lawyers Complaints Service
    PO Box 5041
    Lambton Quay
    Wellington 6145
    Freephone: 0800 261801
    Email: [email protected]
    www.lawsociety.org.nz

    Legal aid lawyer

    If your complaint is about a legal aid lawyer you can talk to Legal Aid Complaints, which is part of the Ministry of Justice, and/or the Lawyers Complaints Service.

    Legal Aid Complaints
    Provider and Community Services
    Ministry of Justice
    Postal address: Level 3, The Vogel Centre, 19 Aitken Street, Wellington 6011
    Email: [email protected]

    Public Defence Service lawyers

    If your complaint is about a Public Defence Service lawyer, you can contact:

    • The Public Defence Service complaints service
    • Legal Aid Complaints, which is a part of the Ministry of Justice and/or
    • The Lawyers Complaints Service.

    Public Defence Service
    Email: [email protected]

    Judicial conduct

    If your complaint is about something that happened in Court, this must be dealt with through the Court itself. You will need to talk to a lawyer. If you don't have a lawyer, you can contact your local community law centre for advice. 

    Complaints about the conduct of Judges may be made to the Judicial Conduct Commissioner:

    Office of the Judicial Conduct Commissioner
    PO Box 2661, Wellington
    Freephone: 0800 800 323
    Email: [email protected]
    www.jcc.govt.nz

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about a request for information which is personal information (mine or a client's)

    Sorry, the Ombudsman is unable to help. If you need personal information about yourself or your client, your request must be considered under the Privacy Act 1993 (PA). The Privacy Commissioner may be able to help.

    The Privacy Commissioner’s contact details are:

    Privacy Commissioner
    PO Box 10-094
    The Terrace
    Wellington 6143
    Freephone: 0800 803 909
    Email: [email protected]
    www.privacy.org.nz

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about a government agency's actions

    The Ombudsman may be able to help you. The Ombudsman investigates complaints against central and local government agencies, including school boards of trustees. 

    Call 0800 802 602 (+64 4 473 9533) or email [email protected], if you're not sure if you should make a complaint to the Ombudsman or you'd like some advice on whether the Ombudsman can help you further. 

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about something else

    See the Complaints A-Z page first to see if your issue is listed there. This page contains a list of other organisations who may be able to help you.   

    If not, you'll need to provide a bit more information to find out whether the Ombudsman can help you. Please call 0800 802 602.

  • I want to find out about my complaint about

    To find out what's happening with your existing complaint, please contact the Ombudsman by phone with your reference number if you have one.  

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about a request for information which is personal information about a company

    If you are looking for personal information about your or your client's company, read the guide about requests by corporate entities for their personal information.

    The Ombudsman may be able to help you. Please call 0800 802 602 (+64 4 473 9533) or email [email protected].

  • I want to ask a question or get advice about the police

    If your question relates to an Official Information Act request, the Ombudsman may be able to help you.

    Any other questions about Police conduct have to be made to:

    Independent Police Conduct Authority
    Freephone: 0800 503 728
    Email: [email protected]
    www.ipca.govt.nz

     

  • I want to make a complaint about the police

    If your complaint relates to an Official Information Act request, the Ombudsman may be able to help you.

    Make a complaint about an Official Information Act request 

    Any other complaints about Police conduct have to be made to:

    Independent Police Conduct Authority
    Freephone: 0800 503 728
    Email: [email protected]
    www.ipca.govt.nz