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c. How many were withdrawn by the complainant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. Māori, Pākehā, 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.

Ngā mihi,
Phoebe Robertson