Providing feedback or a complaint

Terms of use and privacy policy

This statement outlines the terms of use which you agree to by browsing our complaint and feedback pages, or by submitting feedback to us. This statement also describes our policy with regard to personal and other information collected when any Immigration New Zealand (INZ) customer submits feedback, either through our online feedback forms, or through email or letter.

Collecting information

When you submit a complaint or offer a suggestion for which you wish a response, INZ collects the information you provide to:

  • determine your identity
  • better understand the circumstances around any incident or issue which has led you to submit a complaint or suggestion
  • resolve or address your complaint or suggestion
  • know how to contact you so that we can clarify your complaint or suggestion, or so that we can email or post you our response.

The supply of your information is voluntary, but if you do not supply mandatory information as outlined in the online feedback forms, it may compromise our ability to respond well to your complaint or suggestion.

Also note that INZ may access information it already holds about you, either in electronic or paper form, in order for us to better respond to your complaint or suggestion.

Family members

If your complaint involves family members (for example if an application you are concerned about includes your spouse or children or the person you were sponsoring), we may also need to access their information. As such we advise you to make them aware of your intent to submit a complaint and that as a result their information may be accessed.

By providing information about others, you confirm to us you have either authority or their permission to provide us with their information and for us to access and use the information we already hold about them. INZ asks that you respect the privacy of other individuals (even close family members) by not providing their personal details to INZ which are irrelevant to your complaint.

INZ is subject to the Privacy Act 2020.

Storage of information

INZ has a legal obligation to protect any information we collect from you. INZ's online services are designed to meet national and international security standards to safeguard personal information collected.

You can find further information on INZ’s obligations to protect your information here:

Immigration Act 2009

Privacy Act 2020

The Privacy Commissioner's website has more information on the privacy laws in New Zealand.

Privacy Commissioner

You can contact the Privacy Commisioner at:

Office of the Privacy Commissioner
PO Box 10094
Wellington 6143
New Zealand

or by email at:
enquiries@privacy.org.nz

Use of information

Your information will be used for the purposes it is collected for, described above. It will be accessed by INZ and Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) staff members involved in addressing your complaint or suggestion.

Your information will also be used for management reporting and complaint analysis, so INZ can improve how it does its business.

INZ will not disclose your information to any third-party in a form that will identify you except in the following circumstances:

  • where you have consented to such disclosure
  • where such disclosure is required or permitted by the Privacy Act 2020, or otherwise required or permitted by law.

Note that INZ is authorised to share information with other government agencies under applicable law.

Additional terms

These terms are in addition to the general INZ terms of use and privacy policy which we advise that you read.

Privacy policy

This privacy statement applies to personal and other information collected by INZ. They include:

Access to your personal information

Statistical information

Cookies

Security

General terms of use

General terms of use