Aotearoa Justice Watch records and collates thematic issues that people from across the country report through our platform. It is a tool for processing issues and concerns civil society organisations may already be receiving about the areas of prisons and policing. Our team can then see where systemic issues and trends may exist, and where further research and scrutiny may be required.
Aotearoa Justice Watch will not provide direct support to people at risk, in need or assistance with complaints and claims. If you require immediate or eventual assistance, get in touch with the following emergency services, organisations and complaint avenues.
Emergency services and helplines
If you need Fire & Emergency Service, Police or an ambulance in an emergency, call 111
Covid-19 HealthLine: 0800 358 5453
General HealthLine: 0800 779 997
Mental Health: Call or text 1737
Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757
Youthline: 0800 376 633
OutLine: 0800 688 5463
Sexual Harm Helpline – Safe to Talk: 0800 044 334
Women’s Refuge: 0800 733 843
Family Violence Information Line: 0800 456 450
Child Abuse Prevention Parent Helpline: 0800 568 856
Alcohol/Drug Helpline: 0800 787 797
If you are concerned about a person’s immediate safety, phone your District Health Board – Mental Health Crisis Assessment Team:
Whānau support organisations
Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency
Website: https://whanauora.nz/
Whānau Ora is an inclusive approach to providing services and opportunities to whānau across Aotearoa. It empowers whānau as a whole, rather than focusing separately on individual whānau members and their problems.
Contact: https://whanauora.nz/contact-us/
Phone: 0800 929 282
Email: info@whanauora.nz
Legal support
Legal Aid – Ministry of Justice
Information about how to apply for legal aid:
https://www.justice.govt.nz/courts/going-to-court/legal-aid/get-legal-aid/
Community Law
Website: https://communitylaw.org.nz/
Community Law provides legal support on all kinds of legal problems, from employment, family and housing issues to criminal matters, human rights and Māori land. They give free one-on-one legal help to people who are on a benefit or have a low income.
Contact: https://communitylaw.org.nz/our-law-centres/
Online Community Law Manual: https://communitylaw.org.nz/legal-information/
Lag Law is a guide about your rights to do with prison. It answers heaps of common questions you might have if you’re going to prison, you’re in prison, or you’re getting out of prison:
New Zealand Howard League for Penal Reform
Website: http://www.nzhowardleague.org.nz/
The League’s programme and objectives are aimed at reducing the prison population, reducing recidivism rates and helping reintegration into communities.
Phone: 09 834 8100
Email: contact@nzhowardleague.org.nz
The Prison Information Service is a collaboration with the Howard League and Community Law Canterbury to coordinate volunteers from the University of Canterbury in order to provide legal and welfare information to prisoners.
Details: Canterbury Branch
canterbury@howardleague.org.nz
03 377 0313
PO Box 2912, Christchurch 8140
Youthlaw
Website: http://www.youthlaw.co.nz/
YouthLaw Tino Rangatiratanga Taitamariki provide free legal services to anyone aged under 25 who are unable to access legal help elsewhere, or those acting on their behalf.
Phone: 0800 UTHLAW / 0800 884 529
Email: nzyouthlaw@gmail.com
Auckland Disability Law
Website: http://aucklanddisabilitylaw.org.nz/auckland-disability-law-contact-us
Provides free legal services to disabled people associated with their disability legal issues. ADL provides legal education on disability law in the community and within disability and legal organisations. They work with the Disability and Deaf communities through their community engagement and law reform activities.
Phone: 09 257 5140
Email: info@adl.org.nz
Organisations and complaints avenues
Human Rights Commission
Website: http://www.hrc.co.nz/
The HRC has a free and confidential service for human rights enquiries and discrimination complaints. It has a dispute resolution process for discrimination complaints, and can address other human rights issues such as disability, housing, education, race relations, employment and detention. It advocates and educates on human rights.
Phone: 0800 496 877
Email: infoline@hrc.co.nz
TXT: 0210 236 4253
New Zealand Police
Website https://www.police.govt.nz/
Reporting a crime, or for advising them of a matter you wish police to investigate:
www.105.police.govt.nz or phone 105
Provide feedback to Police expressing your dissatisfaction online:
https://forms.police.govt.nz/complaint
By post or in person: https://www.police.govt.nz/contact-us/stations
Feedback for the Commissioner: https://forms.police.govt.nz/forms/contact-new-zealand-police/?about=commissioner
IPCA – Independent Police Conduct Authority of New Zealand
Website: https://www.ipca.govt.nz/
The Independent Police Conduct Authority is an independent body set up by Parliament to keep watch over the Police. They are not part of NZ Police.
Make a complaint to the IPCA:
Online: https://complaints.ipca.govt.nz/195
IPCA complaint form for download:
https://www.ipca.govt.nz/includes/download.ashx?ID=155622
By email: info@ipca.govt.nz
By post: PO Box 25221, Wellington 6140
Prisoner Complaint Process – Prison Operational Manual
Information about how a prisoner can make a complaint:
Office of the Inspectorate – Corrections
Website: https://inspectorate.corrections.govt.nz/
The Office of the Inspectorate works to ensure that all prisoners are treated in a way that is fair, safe, secure and humane. The Inspectorate is part of the Department of Corrections, but is operationally independent to ensure objectivity and integrity. The Inspectorate carries out inspections of prisons, investigates complaints from prisoners and from offenders in the community, investigates all deaths of people in Corrections’ custody, carries out other investigations where necessary and monitors situations where there are concerns.
Making a complaint to the Inspectorate:
https://inspectorate.corrections.govt.nz/about_us/making_a_complaint
Phone: 0800 225 697
Email: inspectorate@corrections.govt.nz
Post: Office of the Inspectorate, Department of Corrections, Private Box 1206, Wellington 6140
Ombudsman
Website: http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
The Ombudsman handles complaints and investigates the administrative conduct of state sector agencies, including in relation to official information requests. They also carry out a range of roles that go toward protecting your rights, like monitoring places of detention, and the implementation of the UN Disabilities Convention.
Make a complaint online:
https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/get-help-public/make-complaint-members-public
Phone: 0800 802 602 or +64 4 4739533 (Language line assistance available)
Email: info@ombudsman.parliament.nz
Post: The Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143
Judicial Conduct Commissioner
Website: https://www.jcc.govt.nz/
If you would like to make a complaint about the conduct of a Judge, you should write to the Judicial Conduct Commissioner.
Information about the process:
http://www.jcc.govt.nz/complaintprocess.html
Phone: 0800 800 323
Email: judicialconduct@jcc.govt.nz
Post: PO Box 2661, Wellington
The Privacy Commissioner
Website: http://www.privacy.org.nz/
The key responsibilities of the Privacy Commissioner include investigating complaints, monitoring proposed legislation and issuing codes of practice.
Making a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner:
https://privacy.org.nz/your-rights/making-a-complaint/
Phone: 0800 803 909
Post: PO Box 10094, Wellington 6143
Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission
Website: https://www.mhwc.govt.nz/
The Commission provides system-level oversight of mental health and wellbeing and holds the Government of the day and other decision makers to account for the health and wellbeing of people in Aotearoa New Zealand.
People who have concerns about the care they or others have experienced at a mental health or addiction service should contact the Nationwide Health and Disability Advocacy Service or make a complaint to the HDC:
https://www.hdc.org.nz/making-a-complaint/
Email: kiaora@mhwc.govt.nz
Post: Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, DX Box SP22502, Wellington
HDC – Health and Disability Commissioner
Website: https://www.hdc.org.nz/
The main role of the Health and Disability Commissioner is to ensure that the rights of consumers are upheld. This includes making sure that complaints about health or disability services providers are taken care of fairly and efficiently.
Making a complaint to HDC online:
https://www.hdc.org.nz/making-a-complaint/make-a-complaint-to-hdc/
Phone: 0800 11 22 33
Post: PO Box 1791, Auckland 1140
Children’s Commissioner
Website: http://www.occ.org.nz/
The Children’s Commissioner is mandated to inquire into any matter affecting children and to advocate for children.
Phone: 0800 224 453
Email: advice@occ.org.nz
Employment Relations Authority
Website: http://www.era.govt.nz/
The Employment Relations Authority is an independent body that resolves employment relationship problems that cannot be resolved through mediation.
Information about the process:
https://www.era.govt.nz/steps-in-the-authority-process/
Phone: Auckland 09 970 1550, Christchurch 03 964 7850, Wellington 04 915 9550
Email:
Auckland aucklandera@era.govt.nz
Wellington wellingtonera@era.govt.nz
Christchurch christchurchera@era.govt.nz
Social Security Appeal Authority
Website:
http://www.justice.govt.nz/tribunals/social-security-appeal-authority
The Social Security Appeal Authority is an independent judicial tribunal that hears appeals made by beneficiaries who want to challenge a decision made about their benefit. In particular, it considers appeals against decisions made by the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development that have been confirmed or varied by a Benefits Review Committee, decisions made by the Secretary for War Pensions in respect of Veterans’ pensions and related matters.
Phone: 0800 559 009
For more information:
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/about-work-and-income/complaints/review-of-decisions.html
For migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum
INZ – Immigration New Zealand
Website: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/contact/complaints/complaint-about-inz
INZ investigates complaints about any service you received from them, any service you received from a panel physician or clinic, any process failures where they did not follow their own instructions or processes and any response to previous complaints that you believe did not fully answer your complaint.
Online:
https://feedback.immigration.govt.nz/
Form for download:
By email: INZComplaintsandFeedback@mbie.govt.nz
By post: Central Feedback Team – Immigration New Zealand. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. PO Box 1473. Wellington 6140
The Immigration & Protection Tribunal
Website:
https://www.justice.govt.nz/tribunals/immigration/immigration-and-protection/
The Immigration & Protection Tribunal hears and determines appeals concerning decisions about residence class visas, decisions about the recognition of a person as a refugee or protected person, liability for deportation, decisions to stop recognising a person as a refugee or protected person and decisions to cancel the recognition of a New Zealand citizen as a refugee or protected person. The tribunal is administered by the Ministry of Justice.
Phone: 09 914 4299
Immigration Advisers Authority
Website: https://www.iaa.govt.nz/
The Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal hears complaints against licensed immigration advisers. It also hears appeals against decisions made by the Immigration Advisers Authority. If you have a complaint, you must contact the Immigration Advisers Authority first. They will then refer your complaint to the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal.
Make a complaint online http://iaa.govt.nz/migrant/complaints/index.asp
Phone: 04 462 6660
Email: IACDT@justice.govt.nz
ASST – Asylum Seekers Support Trust
Website: http://aucklandrefugeecouncil.org/
ASST works to create a safe and supportive environment for asylum seekers and convention refugees in New Zealand. They provide access to information, services and resources so that those seeking asylum may effectively pursue the determination of their refugee status, and thrive in their new home. They also provide re-settlement support for individuals who have had their refugee status approved to help ensure successful integration into local communities.
Phone: 09 828 6067
Email: clientservices@asst.org.nz
Rainbow Path NZ
Website: https://rainbowpathnz.com/support/
Rainbow Path supports LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers and refugees living in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Email: rainbowpath@protonmail.com
RASNZ – Refugees as Survivors
Website: https://rasnz.co.nz/contact/
Provides mental health and wellbeing services for people from refugee backgrounds living in Aotearoa.
Phone: 09 620 2252