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
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
- I want to make a complaint about a private company which is a bank or other financial institution
- I want to make a complaint about a private company which is using misleading ads or claims
- I want to make a complaint about a private company which is a debt collector
- I want to make a complaint about an employment dispute
- I want to make a complaint about a private company which is a power or gas company
- I want to make a complaint about a lawyer or judge in New Zealand
- I want to make a complaint about a private company which is a telecommunications provider
- I want to make a complaint about a request for information which is personal information (mine or a client's)
- I want to make a complaint about a request for information which is personal information about a company
- I want to make a complaint about an education provider
- I want to make a complaint about a government agency's actions
- I want to make a complaint about a request for information which is general information
- I want to make a complaint about something else
- I want to make a complaint about service I got from the Ombudsman
- I want to ask a question or get advice about a request for information which is general information
- I want to ask a question or get advice about report serious wrongdoing
- I want to ask a question or get advice about places of detention
- I want to ask a question or get advice about a private company which is a bank or other financial institution
- I want to ask a question or get advice about a private company which is a debt collector
- I want to ask a question or get advice about a private company which is supplying faulty goods or services
- I want to ask a question or get advice about a private company which is using misleading ads or claims
- I want to ask a question or get advice about an employment dispute
- I want to ask a question or get advice about a private company which is a telecommunications provider
- I want to ask a question or get advice about a private company which is a power or gas company
- I want to ask a question or get advice about a lawyer or judge in New Zealand
- I want to ask a question or get advice about a request for information which is personal information (mine or a client's)
- I want to ask a question or get advice about a government agency's actions
- I want to ask a question or get advice about something else
- I want to find out about my complaint about
- I want to ask a question or get advice about a request for information which is personal information about a company
- I want to ask a question or get advice about the police
- I want to make a complaint about the police
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.nzFinancial Dispute Resolution
Freephone: 0508 337 337
Email: [email protected]
www.fdrs.org.nzSorry, 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/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.nzThe New Zealand Collectors Association
Freephone: 0800 505 101For 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.
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.nzSorry, 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/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.nzLegal 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.nzSorry, 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.nzI 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.nzI 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.
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.
The Ombudsman may be able to help you.
Find out more about how the Ombudsman looks at complaints, the investigation process, how 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.
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.
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].
Please email [email protected] with details of your concerns.
If you have one, include your complaint reference number.
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].
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.
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.nzSorry, 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.nzI 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.nzI 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/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.nzI 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.nzSorry, 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/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.nzLegal 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.nzI 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.nzThe 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.
- Find out more about what the Ombudsman can help with
- Find out how the Ombudsman looks at complaints
- Find out what happens when you make a complaint to the Ombudsman
- Check our Complaints A-Z to see if your issue is listed.
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.
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].
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.nzIf 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