New Standards Promise Dignity and Support for Sexual Harassment Complainants

Public service workers in New Zealand who come forward with complaints of sexual harassment, bullying, or discrimination will now be better protected and supported under new standards announced by Public Service Minister Judith Collins. The initiative, titled Your Complaint, Your Rights, outlines clearer protections and expectations to ensure that complainants are treated with dignity, fairness, and respect.

A New Era of Accountability

Minister Collins emphasized that the government is committed to strengthening trust within the public service by improving how complaints are managed. She noted that too often complainants have felt unsupported, ignored, or left in the dark during investigations. The new framework is designed to correct this by setting higher expectations for agencies and ensuring consistent support across the sector.

The Your Complaint, Your Rights resource makes explicit the rights of complainants, while the updated Speaking Up model standards create a stronger foundation for agencies to respond effectively. These reforms are a direct response to feedback from complainants and data from the latest Public Service Census, which revealed that 12 percent of public servants had experienced harassment or bullying in the past year within their workplace.

Key Improvements in Complaint Handling

The strengthened standards introduce several concrete changes aimed at fostering trust and ensuring fairness:

• Regular and Clear Communication: Agencies must keep complainants updated at least once a month, even when there are no new developments. This ensures that individuals are never left in uncertainty during what can often be a stressful process.

• Access to Legal Support: In cases where a power imbalance exists, or when a complaint is particularly serious or complex, agencies are expected to provide access to legal support. This addresses longstanding concerns that complainants are disadvantaged in navigating official processes.

• Stronger Escalation Pathways: Complainants will now have clearer options to raise their concerns outside of their immediate agency if they feel their case is not being handled appropriately. This strengthens accountability and helps prevent conflicts of interest or internal cover-ups.

A Message of Zero Tolerance

Collins underscored that these measures reinforce the public service’s zero tolerance stance on harassment, bullying, and discrimination. “Everyone has a right to feel safe and supported when they speak up,” she said, adding that the standards are designed to reflect international best practices and create a safer workplace culture.

By institutionalizing clearer processes, the government aims not only to protect victims but also to encourage more people to come forward, confident that they will be heard and treated with fairness.

Looking Ahead

The success of these reforms will depend on consistent implementation across all agencies. Training for managers, transparent complaint tracking, and independent oversight are likely to be necessary to ensure that the standards deliver real change.

Still, the message is clear: the era of inadequate responses to harassment in the public service is ending. With these strengthened standards, complainants are no longer expected to face the process alone, but will instead have guaranteed rights, stronger protections, and access to meaningful support.