Parliamentary Service Complaints

If you are unhappy with the service you received from Parliamentary Service or the conduct of our staff, please let us know.

We are committed to managing complaints from members of the public in a fair, respectful, transparent and timely manner.

Before making your complaint, please read the following information:

Who can complain?

Any member of the public who is dissatisfied with our service or actions can use the process to make a complaint.

What can I complain about?

You can complain about things like:

• the standard of service provided 
• the behaviour of or attitude displayed by our staff or contractor 
• any action or lack of action by our staff or contractor 
• failure to properly apply law, policy, procedure or guidance when delivering services or conducting duties.

What complaints can’t be managed through this process?

This process can’t be used to complain about:

• the conduct, actions or decisions of:
  • members of Parliament, including Ministers of the Crown and the Speaker of the House
  • members of the Press Gallery.
  • staff whose work is managed by members of Parliament or political parties.
  • staff of the Office of the Clerk
  • political parties
  • Government agencies
• matters that are the responsibility of another organisation or person.
• House or select committee proceedings
• parliamentary rules and protocols
• Parliamentary Service recruitment processes
• issues being heard in court or previously heard in court 
• matters where complaints procedures and remedies are set out in legislation.
• If you contact us about something we cannot address as part of our complaint process, we will let you know and try to direct you to the appropriate place.

This complaints process also cannot be used to:

• make a complaint alleging a breach of privacy. Such complaints must be referred to the Parliamentary Service Privacy Officer by emailing: privacy@parliament.govt.nz
• make a protected disclosure under the Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022. 

How do I make a complaint?

You can make a complaint using the online form at the bottom of this page.

You can also make a complaint by email, phone, letter or in person.

If you need help to make a complaint, we can accept a complaint made for you by a representative such as whānau/family, a friend or a support person. We will need your written consent for them to complain on your behalf.

You can provide this by completing the Authority to Act form and sending it to us via mail or email. Please make sure it is clear to which complaint it relates. The Authority to Act form can be found at the bottom of this page.

Complaints must normally be made within three months of:

• the event you want to complain about; or
• finding out you have a reason to complain.

Complaints made outside of this timeframe may be considered in extraordinary circumstances. If you think we should consider your complaint outside of these timeframes, please explain why.

What happens when I make a complaint?

All complaints will be acknowledged when we receive them. We’ll then work out if your complaint can be considered as part of our process and, if so, what stage your complaint should be managed at. Our complaints process has two stages.

At stage one, a senior manager will look into your complaint, and we’ll aim to give you our decision within ten working days. If you’re not happy with our decision at stage one, you can request an escalation to stage two.

Complaints at stage two require detailed investigation, so we’ll assign someone to conduct this, and we’ll contact you about the next steps and timeframes. If we cannot respond within this timeframe, we’ll let you know why and when you can expect a response. Some complaints are managed directly at stage two.

At either stage, if we need more information to progress your complaint, we will contact you (if you have provided contact details).

If you’re not happy with our response, you can raise your concerns with the Ombudsman:

Office of the Ombudsman

• Free phone: 0800 802 602
• www.ombudsman.parliament.nz 
• info@ombudsman.parliament.nz 
• PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143 
• The Ombudsman will ask you if you have first tried to resolve the matter with us directly, and will also consider whether you have any other remedy available. The Ombudsman may look into your complaint and make a recommendation to us regarding the concern you have raised.

Contact us

Fill out the Parliamentary Service Complaint Form 

Email: pscomplaints@parliament.govt.nz 

Phone: 0800 PĀREMATA (0800 7273 6282)

If you are Deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, speech impaired or find it hard to talk, you can use the New Zealand Relay Service to contact us.

Address:
Complaints Officer
Parliament Buildings
Private Bag 18041
Wellington 6160
New Zealand