We try to resolve complaints in a fair, timely and responsive way. Our processes are flexible to meet your needs.
Complaints are an important way we can all help sport and recreation be safer and fairer. Complaints help us find out what has gone wrong, hold the people responsible to account, and find ways to improve things for the future.
What we can help with
We accept complaints about integrity in sport and recreation, including:
bullying, abuse, violence, harassment, intimidation, and sexual misconduct
failing to keep children safe
racism and other types of discrimination
match-fixing, and
corruption, fraud, and other dishonest conduct.
The behaviour needs to have happened in a sport or recreation environment or be related in some way to sport and recreation. Your complaint can be about a person or an organisation.
We also accept complaints about poor handling of integrity issues by an organisation. This includes when the organisation doesn’t have policies or rules in place to prevent integrity issues or doesn’t follow its own rules when something goes wrong.
What we can’t help with
There are some things we cannot help with such as breaches of on-field rules or disputes about selection. The Sports Tribunal of New Zealand can help resolve issues about selection, including hearing appeals about selection decisions of a national sport organisation or the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
If we’re unable to help you with your complaint, we will explain why and help identify other options for you. This might include making a referral to another organisation.
Before making a complaint to us, you can make a complaint with your club or organisation directly or try to talk to the person or organisation that you’re unhappy with. You do not need to try this before contacting us, but it can help.
It’s easy to lodge a complaint with us. Fill out the online complaint form or get in touch with us by phone or email.
You can also call us for a confidential, no obligation chat about our service and how we can help you.
If you need help to make a complaint, you can contact us.
We review your complaint
We review your complaint to make sure it is something we can help with.
We will contact you
We will contact you to discuss your complaint, answer any questions you may have about the complaint process, and find out what support you need (such as counselling or cultural support). We can try and help find the right support for you.
If we aren’t the right place to help you resolve your complaint, we will let you know. Where we can, we’ll let you know about other organisations that may be able to help or refer you to another organisation.
We will speak to the other people involved
Next, we will usually speak to the other people involved (such as the person you have complained about and your club or organisation). This is to find out their views.
We won’t take this step without your permission.
Resolution
We will work with you to find a way forward. We consider several factors including the harm or risk to people involved, the seriousness of the alleged issue, and whether the people involved are children or vulnerable adults.
We will talk to you and the other people involved about what might work best to resolve the issue. This includes:
early facilitation – this is when we try to resolve the complaint informally
mediation – this is when an impartial person (mediator) helps the parties talk about what happened and try to agree a way forward.
Our processes are flexible and can be adapted to suit the needs of those involved.
Most complaints are resolved at this stage.
Investigation
If the allegations are serious, we may decide to investigate the complaint. This is a more formal process where we try to find out what happened.
We may publish a report with our findings. Our reports won’t include personal information except if it is in the public interest or consent is provided.
If you have any questions or are unsure about whether we can help, reachout to us for a confidential, no obligation chat.
Free and confidential counselling services are available to anyone involved in a complaint we are handling. This is provided by a third-party provider outside of the Commission and is confidential.
We do not provide legal advice. You may want to talk to a friend or family member, or seek legal advice, about whether making a complaint to us is right for you. You can withdraw your complaint or stop the process at any time.
How you are protected
Our processes are confidential. This means that we can’t share information about you or your complaint unless you give us permission, or in limited circumstances (such as when we are required by law or need to share it to prevent serious harm to you or someone else).
Sharing information about you and your complaint with the person or organisation you have complained about is usually required for us to be able to help.
You are protected from retaliation and victimisation. This is when an organisation or a person treats you unfairly because you make or plan to make a complaint to us or provide us with information.
Your friends, family and whānau are also protected from victimisation.
Under the Human Rights Act 1993, you can’t be treated less favourably than others in the same or similar circumstances because of your complaint. If you are victimised in this way, you may have legal remedies under the Human Rights Act.
You can make an anonymous complaint over the phone or through the online complaint form.
A dispute resolution process (such as mediation) will require both parties to participate. This includes the person making the complaint and the person or organisation who is being complained about, and so will be unable to proceed anonymously.
Whether or not you wish to remain anonymous, if you have any safety, wellbeing or other concerns about submitting a complaint, please let the team know when you submit your complaint so we can handle the matter in the right way for you.
We try to resolve complaints in a fair, timely and responsive way. Our processes are flexible to meet your needs.
Complaints are an important way we can all help sport and recreation be safer and fairer. Complaints help us find out what has gone wrong, hold the people responsible to account, and find ways to improve things for the future.
What we can help with
We accept complaints about integrity in sport and recreation, including:
bullying, abuse, violence, harassment, intimidation, and sexual misconduct
failing to keep children safe
racism and other types of discrimination
match-fixing, and
corruption, fraud, and other dishonest conduct.
The behaviour needs to have happened in a sport or recreation environment or be related in some way to sport and recreation. Your complaint can be about a person or an organisation.
We also accept complaints about poor handling of integrity issues by an organisation. This includes when the organisation doesn’t have policies or rules in place to prevent integrity issues or doesn’t follow its own rules when something goes wrong.
What we can’t help with
There are some things we cannot help with such as breaches of on-field rules or disputes about selection. The Sports Tribunal of New Zealand can help resolve issues about selection, including hearing appeals about selection decisions of a national sport organisation or the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
If we’re unable to help you with your complaint, we will explain why and help identify other options for you. This might include making a referral to another organisation.
Before making a complaint to us, you can make a complaint with your club or organisation directly or try to talk to the person or organisation that you’re unhappy with. You do not need to try this before contacting us, but it can help.
It’s easy to lodge a complaint with us. Fill out the online complaint form or get in touch with us by phone or email.
You can also call us for a confidential, no obligation chat about our service and how we can help you.
If you need help to make a complaint, you can contact us.
We review your complaint
We review your complaint to make sure it is something we can help with.
We will contact you
We will contact you to discuss your complaint, answer any questions you may have about the complaint process, and find out what support you need (such as counselling or cultural support). We can try and help find the right support for you.
If we aren’t the right place to help you resolve your complaint, we will let you know. Where we can, we’ll let you know about other organisations that may be able to help or refer you to another organisation.
We will speak to the other people involved
Next, we will usually speak to the other people involved (such as the person you have complained about and your club or organisation). This is to find out their views.
We won’t take this step without your permission.
Resolution
We will work with you to find a way forward. We consider several factors including the harm or risk to people involved, the seriousness of the alleged issue, and whether the people involved are children or vulnerable adults.
We will talk to you and the other people involved about what might work best to resolve the issue. This includes:
early facilitation – this is when we try to resolve the complaint informally
mediation – this is when an impartial person (mediator) helps the parties talk about what happened and try to agree a way forward.
Our processes are flexible and can be adapted to suit the needs of those involved.
Most complaints are resolved at this stage.
Investigation
If the allegations are serious, we may decide to investigate the complaint. This is a more formal process where we try to find out what happened.
We may publish a report with our findings. Our reports won’t include personal information except if it is in the public interest or consent is provided.
If you have any questions or are unsure about whether we can help, reachout to us for a confidential, no obligation chat.
Free and confidential counselling services are available to anyone involved in a complaint we are handling. This is provided by a third-party provider outside of the Commission and is confidential.
We do not provide legal advice. You may want to talk to a friend or family member, or seek legal advice, about whether making a complaint to us is right for you. You can withdraw your complaint or stop the process at any time.
How you are protected
Our processes are confidential. This means that we can’t share information about you or your complaint unless you give us permission, or in limited circumstances (such as when we are required by law or need to share it to prevent serious harm to you or someone else).
Sharing information about you and your complaint with the person or organisation you have complained about is usually required for us to be able to help.
You are protected from retaliation and victimisation. This is when an organisation or a person treats you unfairly because you make or plan to make a complaint to us or provide us with information.
Your friends, family and whānau are also protected from victimisation.
Under the Human Rights Act 1993, you can’t be treated less favourably than others in the same or similar circumstances because of your complaint. If you are victimised in this way, you may have legal remedies under the Human Rights Act.
You can make an anonymous complaint over the phone or through the online complaint form.
A dispute resolution process (such as mediation) will require both parties to participate. This includes the person making the complaint and the person or organisation who is being complained about, and so will be unable to proceed anonymously.
Whether or not you wish to remain anonymous, if you have any safety, wellbeing or other concerns about submitting a complaint, please let the team know when you submit your complaint so we can handle the matter in the right way for you.
