16 October 2025
OIAD-1764
Phoebe Robertson
[FYI request #32387 email] Tēnā koe Phoebe
Thank you for your email of 25 September 2025 making the following request under the
Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) of the Ministry for the Environment (the Ministry):
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c. How many were withdrawn by the complainant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
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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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
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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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
I am writing to notify you that the Ministry is extending the timeframe for its response to your
request under section 15A(1)(a) of the Act, as the request is for a large quantity of official
information or necessitates a search through a large quantity of information and meeting the
original time limit would unreasonably interfere with the operations of the Ministry.
We will now respond to your request on, if not before, 7 November 2025, which is an
extension of 10 working days.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of my decision to
extend this request, in accordance with section 28(3) of the Act. The relevant details can be
found a
t: www.ombudsman.parliament.nz. Nāku noa, nā
Lachlan Brown
Team Leader – Official Information and Proactive Release
Ministry for the Environment | Manatū Mō Te Taiao
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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