English | Te reo
1. You advise us that you know or suspect wrongdoing is occurring
There are many ways you can raise your concerns. You can complete our online form, give us a call, or send us an email or letter. We'll ask you to provide a full description of the wrongdoing you are concerned about, including:
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the bank involved
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when, where and for how long the wrongdoing has taken place
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who is or was involved
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who may have known about or witnessed it
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what impact it has had
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if a law, policy or code of conduct has, in your view, been breached.
Please include any relevant documents such as texts or emails. Tell us about any other steps you have taken to report the wrongdoing and whether this has resulted in any action. We'll ask you if you believe what you're telling us is true or likely to be true.
2. We write a report
We offer anonymous reporting, which means you may choose not to share your identity with us. Our contact link allows for anonymous two-way communication. Or, you can talk to us freely and ask that we don't reveal who you are to the bank. We'll respect your decision and make sure we understand what information you do and don't want us to share.
If you'd like us to contact you, we will reply within one working day. We may ask some questions to understand your concerns better, but it's your choice whether you answer.
We'll review the information we've gathered from you and write a report outlining what you want us to share.
3. We send our report to the bank
We send our report directly to the whistleblowing contact at your bank. This is a senior individual specifically tasked with reviewing whistleblower concerns.
4. The bank undertakes a review and may investigate
The bank reviews your concerns and decides what action, if any, to take. Usually the bank will investigate, but it may choose not to if it has previously considered the matter, lacks sufficient information or the matter is not a whistleblowing concern. We expect banks to conduct this review as soon as practicable and to tell us whether it will investigate.
While an investigation is underway, banks must give us progress updates, usually monthly. We will pass along – in broad terms – the substance of these updates.
5. We may ask further questions
The bank may seek more details about aspects of your concerns. We will relay the bank’s questions to you via your preferred contact channel. You do not have to answer follow-up questions.
6. The bank reaches an outcome
If a bank investigates, it must tell us the outcome of that investigation – whether proven, disproven, or insufficient evidence to determine. It must also provide us with a summary outcome report, in confidence.
If you asked us to communicate with you, we will tell you the outcome. We will also give the bank an opportunity to respond directly to you in a letter if it wishes, which we will relay to you.