Make a complaint
You can make a complaint in writing or in email, by ringing us, or at a face-to-face meeting.
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Complaint about |
Where to complain |
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Complaints about the Ministry of Education |
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For all complaints about the Ministry |
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Sensitive Claims of Abuse in State Schools before 1989 |
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Complaints about education providers |
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ECE service complaints |
Complaints about your early childhood education services(external link) |
School or related complaints |
Speak to the Principal, then to the school board. If you are not happy with the response from the school, contact your local office for support. Or you can contact the Office of the Ombudsman. |
A complaint about a teacher |
Complaints about teachers should usually first go to the teacher’s employer (the school board), to give them a chance to investigate your concerns. If you are not happy with how the school has dealt with the issue, you can raise your concerns with the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. |
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If you have a concern or complaint about the use of seclusion in a school, contact your local Ministry office straightaway. |
Local Ministry offices |
Statutory Intervention complaintsComplaints can be about a statutory appointee working in a school. This may be a Specialist Adviser, Limited Statutory Manager or a Commissioner. |
Raise your complaint directly with the statutory appointee first. If you're not happy with the response from the appointee, contact your local office for support. |
Learning support services complaints |
If you have concerns about a learning support service, you can make a complaint. We'll work with you to resolve it. Making a complaint about a learning support (special education) service |
Physical restraint complaints |
If you believe unjustified restraint has occurred with your tamariki and wish to raise your concerns, start by asking the school principal or manager about schools’ complaints process. You can also read the Ministry’s guidance on how to make a complaint, contact your local Ministry Office or visit the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand’s website(external link). Independent options are available here. |
Complaints about other education organisations |
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| Education organisations like New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), Education Review Office (ERO) and Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) |
Send your complaint to the relevant organisation. |
Our complaints process
Once we've received your complaint we'll get in touch with you within two working days to discuss how we'll handle it.
Transparency statement
The transparency statement explains how we collect, use, and share information gathered about individuals and organisations for the purposes of carrying out our statutory functions under the Education and Training Act 2020.
Transparency statement about information gathering for regulatory compliance purposes
If you're still not happy with how we're handling your complaint
If you raise an issue with us, we will work with you and do our best to resolve it. If after working with us you are still not happy with how we've handled your complaint, there are a range of options for you to consider to seek a resolution.
Complaints options independent of the Ministry
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