What the Ombudsman does with your personal information

If you make a complaint the Ombudsman will use your personal information to:

• contact you about your complaint
• decide whether to investigate your complaint
• resolve and investigate your complaint (which may include sharing it with third parties)
• report back to Parliament or publicly, for example about the number, types, and nature of complainants
• identify similar complaints to find trends across government that the Ombudsman may need to investigate
• educate others about the Ombudsman’s work, including by publishing summary case notes.

When the Ombudsman uses your information for statistical, reporting or educational purposes, any information that could be used to identify you will usually be removed or changed. The Ombudsman would usually only release identifying information after consulting with you, or if the information is already in the public domain.

If your personal information is used in a way that is not listed here, the Ombudsman will only do so if required or permitted by law.

Sharing your personal information with other agencies

The Ombudsman may also disclose some of your personal information if it’s necessary for their work. The Ombudsman may, for example, share personal information with:

• another oversight or complaints agency to determine whether to transfer a complaint or when the Ombudsman needs to consult an agency, including
  • the Privacy Commissioner
  • the Health and Disability Commissioner
  • Mana Mokopuna | the Children and Young Person’s Commission
  • Aroturuki Tamariki | the Independent Children’s Monitor
• the agency or organisation your complaint is about, so the Ombudsman can investigate or resolve the issue
• anyone the Ombudsman thinks can provide information to assist with a complaint
• anyone else who may be affected by a complaint or investigation by the Ombudsman
• the Police or another government agency, if required by law, to report significant misconduct or breach of duty.

The Ombudsman may also share personal information with the Police if there is a concern of harm to yourself or others, or if the Ombudsman’s staff are threatened or abused. The Ombudsman will usually tell you if they intend to do this.