Kia ora Phoebe Robertson,

Thank you for your Official Information Act request received on
25/09/2025.

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Ngâ mihi nui

Ministerial Services Team 

Ministry for the Environment – Manatû Mô Te Taiao

Email: [MFE request email] Website: [2]www.mfe.govt.nz 

8 Willis Street, Wellington Central, Wellington 6011

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Kia ora Phoebe
Please find attached a notification of extension for your request.
Ngâ mihi
Matthew

Ministerial Services Team 

Ministry for the Environment – Manatû Mô Te Taiao

Email: [1][MFE request email] Website: [2]www.mfe.govt.nz 

8 Willis Street, Wellington Central, Wellington 6011

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From: Phoebe Robertson <[FOI #32387 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2025 6:35 PM
To: OIA <[MFE request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Request for data on internal HR
complaints, investigations, and resolution outcomes – 30 June 2021 to 31
August 2025
 
MFE CYBER SECURITY WARNING
This email originated from outside our organisation. Please take extra
care when clicking on any links or opening any attachments.

Dear Ministry for the Environment,

This request is part of a broader project on psychological safety and HR
practices in the public sector.

Pursuant to the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following
information relating to internal staff complaints made to Human Resources
between 30 June 2021 and 31 August 2025.

1. Total Complaints & Monthly Breakdown

Please provide:
        •       The total number of internal staff complaints raised with
HR (including, but not limited to, complaints relating to bullying,
harassment, discrimination, cultural safety, or psychologically unsafe
environments)
        •       A monthly breakdown of these complaints over the requested
period, to allow identification of trends

2. Resolution Pathways

For the complaints identified above, please advise:
a. How many were formally investigated
b. How many were informally closed, redirected, or deemed “resolved
without investigation”
c. How many were withdrawn by the complainant
    • If recorded, please include any noted reasons for withdrawal (e.g.
staff exit, concern about reprisal, mediation)
d. The outcome of each complaint, recorded in aggregated form, e.g.:
    • No action taken
    • Informal resolution
    • Escalated to formal action or investigation
    • Referred to external mediator
    • Staff resignation or exit
    • Disciplinary action
e. How many complaints remained open or unresolved for longer than 6
months, and how many remained unresolved after 12 months
f. Of the complaints that were closed informally or not investigated, how
many were closed with no documented follow-up action or engagement with
the complainant?

3. Time to Resolution
        •       The average and median time taken to resolve or close
complaints, measured from the date of receipt to final resolution or
closure
        •       If feasible, a comparison between complaints that were
formally investigated and those informally closed or redirected

4. Complaint Characteristics

If recorded, please provide an aggregated breakdown of complaints by:
        •       Business group / Directorate
        •       Ethnicity of the complainant (e.g. Mâori, Pâkehâ, Pacific,
Asian)
        •       Nature or category of complaint (e.g. bullying,
harassment, discrimination, cultural safety concerns, unsafe workplace)
        •       Whether the complaint involved the conduct of a manager or
team leader
        •       Whether the complainant exited the Ministry within 12
months of the complaint being made

5. Multiple Complaints & Repeat Concerns

If recorded, please advise:
        •       Whether any individuals (particularly those in managerial
or leadership positions) were the subject of more than one complaint
during the period
        •       An anonymised count of such repeat instances (e.g., “3
managers were subject to 2 or more complaints each between 2021–2025”)

6. Reporting to Senior Leadership

Please provide any internal guidance, policy, or documented practice that
sets out:
        •       When and how complaints about managers or team leaders are
required to be reported to:
        •       the relevant General Manager
        •       the Chief Executive
        •       the People & Culture Governance Group, Audit & Risk
Committee, or other internal forums
        •       Whether the Ministry has a threshold or risk rating system
to determine which complaints are escalated to senior leadership
        •       Whether complaints involving repeat allegations or staff
exits are flagged or tracked at a leadership or governance level

7. Manager–Manager Complaint Dynamics

Please advise:
        •       How complaints made about managers by other managers (e.g.
inter-leader bullying, conflict, or misuse of process) are managed
        •       Whether there are internal rules or protections in place
to ensure such complaints are independently investigated, and not handled
by close peers or reporting lines (e.g. a GM and their direct reports)

8. Transparency of Investigations & Risk Tracking
        •       Whether the Ministry maintains any risk register,
dashboard, or tracking tool that monitors:
        •       The volume and category of internal HR complaints
        •       The number of unresolved or repeat complaints involving
the same individuals
        •       Complaints with themes of psychological harm, cultural
safety, or retaliation
        •       If such a register or tool exists, please provide:
        •       A high-level description of its structure and oversight
        •       Which teams or leadership roles have access to it

9. Escalation Frameworks

Please provide:
        •       Any internal HR policies, guidance documents, or
decision-making frameworks that outline how complaints are assessed and
escalated to:
        •       Senior leadership
        •       The Chief Executive
        •       Internal governance or assurance forums
        •       Any specific criteria or thresholds used to determine when
a complaint should be:
        •       Formally investigated
        •       Escalated to an external mediator
        •       Reported to internal audit or external bodies

Format and Privacy
        •       Please provide the information in spreadsheet format (CSV
or Excel) where possible
        •       I understand that some individual-level details may be
withheld under section 9 of the Act. I request that anonymised or
aggregated versions be provided to allow for pattern analysis.
        •       Where information is withheld, please state the specific
grounds relied upon under the Act.

Ngâ mihi,
Phoebe Robertson

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