Complain about an action or decision by an agency

Before you start

This form cannot be saved. Please have the information you need ready before you start.

Information you will need

  • The name of the organisation.
  • Key dates and what happened.
  • Steps you have already taken.
  • What outcome you want.
  • An email address we can contact you with.

Documents you will need

  • Emails, letters, decisions or screenshots.
  • Copies of correspondence with the agency.
  • Written authority if you are complaining for someone else.

We may not be able to consider your complaint before we receive these documents.

Your submission

  • About your complaint
  • Your complaint
  • Contact details
  • Demographic information (Optional)
  • Preview and submit

Required information shown with

Have you complained to the agency involved?

Before you continue

We understand that contacting the agency about the problem isn't always easy.

We usually ask people to give the agency a chance to resolve the problem first. Most agencies have a complaints process, and raising it with them directly, or writing to their Chief Executive, can sometimes be faster.

You are welcome to continue with this form. If we need you to contact the organisation first, we'll let you know.

Who is your complaint about?

Before you continue

We can investigate complaints about government agencies and local authorities, but there are some decisions made by certain agencies that we can't investigate.

Before you continue

We cannot investigate decisions made by a full council. This includes decisions such as the setting of rates.

We can investigate complaints about councils that are not full council decisions.

Before you continue 

We can consider complaints about care or custody providers contracted by Oranga Tamariki.

If you are a child or a young person, you may find our website Nau-mai.nz opens page in this tab helpful. You can find out more about our role, and submit a complaint there.

We can only consider complaints about public sector organisations 

There may be another organisation that can help you with your complaint.

We can investigate some types of education providers 
This could be a city, district or regional council, or a council-controlled organisation.
Does your complaint involve one of these agencies?
This could be a ministry or government department

Before you continue

We cannot investigate Ministry of Social Development's decisions about benefits or entitlements.

This includes decisions about:

  • how much money you receive
  • cancelling or pausing your benefit
  • qualifying for specific benefits or payments, like the Disability Allowance or Relocate for Work Support.

You have the right to ask the Benefit Review Committee to review these decisions. If you are unhappy with the outcome, you have a further right to appeal to the Social Security Appeal Authority.

Review of decisions – Work and Income opens page in this tab

If you need assistance with your review or appeal rights, you may wish to speak to a lawyer or contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau. You can get free legal advice at your local Community Law Centre

Before you continue

We cannot investigate ACC decisions on entitlements or claims.

This includes decisions about:

  • how much money you receive for weekly payments
  • stopping payments
  • declining or accepting cover for a specific injury.

You can seek a review of that decision through ACC. If you are unhappy with the outcome of the review, you can appeal to the District Court.

Request an independent review – ACC opens page in this tab

If you need help with the ACC review process, you may wish to contact Way Finders opens page in this tab

Before you continue

We cannot investigate Inland Revenue's decisions about child support assessments or tax calculations.

You can request a review of these decisions through Inland Revenue. If you are unhappy with the outcome of a formal reassessment, you can appeal to the District Court.

If you are unhappy with a decision by Inland Revenue, you first need to lodge a formal objection with them. If you're still unhappy with the outcome of a review and wish to pursue the matter in court, you will need to seek legal advice.

Child Support Reviews – Inland Revenue opens page in this tab

Tax Disputes – Inland Revenue opens page in this tab

Before you continue

We cannot investigate Immigration New Zealand's decisions on applications for residence visas.

You can appeal the decision within 42 days to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal. This applies whether or not the right of appeal has been exercised and whether or not any time limit for seeking an appeal has expired, unless special circumstances apply.

Immigration & Protection Tribunal – Ministry of Justice opens page in this tab

Before you continue

We cannot investigate Kāinga Ora's decisions made in its capacity as a landlord.

You can apply to the Tenancy Tribunal to review their decisions.

Contact Kāinga Ora opens page in this tab

Select the type of education provider your complaint is about

We can investigate complaints about this type of provider

Continue to tell us about your complaint.

Is your complaint about one of the following?

Someone else may be able to help

We cannot investigate complaints about private companies or individuals such as:

  • banks
  • telecommunication providers
  • electricity or gas companies.

Please see our page on other services that may be able to assist.

Others who can help

Someone else may be able to help

We cannot investigate complaints about courts, tribunals, lawyers or judges.

New Zealand Law Society opens page in this tab help with complaints about lawyers and legal professionals

Courts of New Zealand opens page in this tab provide information about court processes and appeals

Seek independent legal advice about your options

Someone else may be able to help

We cannot investigate employment disputes.

Employment New Zealand opens page in this tab — for guidance on resolving workplace disputes

Employment Relations Authority (ERA) opens page in this tab — for formal employment relationship disputes

Mediation Services opens page in this tab — for early resolution of employment issues

We cannot investigate complaints about this type of education provider

You will need to contact them directly

We cannot investigate complaints about Police conduct

Complaints about Police conduct or behaviour are handled by the Independent Police Conduct Authority opens page in this tab (IPCA).

We can investigate official information (OIA) requests made to the Police.

Official information complaints

We cannot investigate complaints about Minister conduct or behaviour

We can investigate official information (OIA) requests involving Government Ministers.

Official information complaints

Are you complaining for yourself or someone else?
Who your complaint is for
Please provide a full name.
Are you their lawyer, accountant or other licensed professional?

Written authorisation may be required

To make a complaint on someone else's behalf you may need their written permission. If you are not their lawyer or licensed representative, you will need signed authorisation.

You can upload this now, or provide it later.

Download the written authorisation template

Optional. You can provide this later.
Accepted formats: pdf, doc, docx, jpg, jpeg, png.
Maximum 10 files.
12 MB limit.