What happens when the Ombudsman investigates

An investigator will contact you to tell you the Ombudsman is going to look into your complaint. We call this an ‘investigation’.

During this time, the investigator gathers information from lots of different places. The investigator will keep you updated on how it’s going.

Sometimes we can find a way to fix your problem. If this happens, the investigator will talk to you, and if you’re happy, the investigation will end.

If at any stage the Ombudsman can’t help you, we’ll help you to find someone who can.

We’ll look at all the information found and use it to form a view about what’s happened.

We'll share what’s found with you. You’ll get a chance to read the findings. We can also talk to you about them. If you want, we can visit you to talk about them.

We’ll also share it with Oranga Tamariki or the care or custody provider you’ve complained about. This is to hear their thoughts.

The view will outline what the Ombudsman has found and ideas for how to fix the problem. We call these ‘Remedies’ and ‘Recommendations’.

This is when the investigation ends.