How do I complain about the Ministry of Education’s response to my records request?

You can make a complaint by email 

You can email the Ministry of Education at enquiries.national@education.govt.nz to:  

• make a complaint about the Ministry of Education’s response to your records request
• ask them about redactions they made to your records
• ask them to correct any wrong information in your records. Learn about your rights to have wrong information about you corrected. 

You can also make a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner or the Ombudsman    

The Privacy Commissioner and Ombudsman generally only investigate complaints if you have already tried making a complaint to the Ministry of Education. 

The Privacy Commissioner 

The Privacy Commissioner manages complaints about your rights to access to your records and corrects your personal information.  

For example, you can complain to the Privacy Commissioner if you are unhappy with the Ministry of Education's response to your complaint about redacting the wrong information from your copy of records about you. 

Learn how to make a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner. 

The Office of the Ombudsman 

The Ombudsman deals with complaints about government agencies.  

For example, you could complain to the Ombudsman if you are unhappy with the Ministry of Education's response to your complaint about: 

• them continuing to call your phone number, after you asked them to email you instead
• not providing you with the information you requested
• their decision not to give you access to records about whānau. 

Find out how to complain to the Ombudsman.