At Anglican Missions, we value your views. If you have any feedback about our website, publications, programs or anything else about how Anglican Missions operates, either positive or constructive, please email us at info@anglicanmissions.org.nz.

We accept good faith complaints as a valuable learning source about the way we operate and how we can do things better.

Anglican Missions is committed to being accountable for what it does and in the relationships it has, and allows the opportunity to have grievances and complaints heard, and to seek redress and to restore and improve on our relationships and work.

If you have a complaint of a general nature please email info@anglicanmissions.org.nz

For confidential or sensitive complaints, please email submissions@anglicanmissions.org.nz. These are received directly by the National Director, and are not seen by any other staff.

Below is our complaints policy in full.

Anglican Missions recognises the importance and value of listening and responding to concerns and complaints.

All Anglican Missions staff also have the opportunity to report an incident or make a complaint as included in their individual employment contracts. Responding to concerns and complaints is important in acting in an accountable and transparent manner to stakeholders as well as Anglican Missions staff.

Anglican Missions will meet its obligations under relevant Church Canons as well as the Council for International Developments (CID) Code of Conduct to ensure the Anglican Missions complaints handling process is safe, confidential and accessible1.  

To ensure that the work Anglican Missions carries out is in line with international best practice as outlined in CID’s Code of Conduct. The Policy also aims to enable a safe, easy and effective channel for partners, stakeholders and staff to be able to submit complaints in a safe and anonymous way as necessary.  

The Policy is intended to apply to any complaint, regardless of the complainant.

Details about the complainant will remain confidential, unless it is a requirement of the law or Anglican Mission’s Child Protection Policy obligations, to disclose or report the information. This will not preclude Anglican Missions obtaining legal advice.

Anglican Missions will accept complaints from anyone working for or affiliated with the organisation including volunteers, partners and contractors.

The National Director has responsibility for the Policy and the procedure for handling complaints. If it a complaint about the National Director, then the person making the complaint will be advised on how to contact the Board Chair.

Anglican Missions will make clear in relevant communications the importance and value placed on receiving complaints. Where literacy is a constraint, the complainant may prefer to speak (rather than write) or to reply on someone to represent them. Care will be taken to ensure this is provided in a way that is culturally appropriate, recognising that in some cultures people require encouragement to make a complaint.

Anglican Missions will take particular care to facilitate complaints from vulnerable populations including children, women and marginalised groups.

Communications will outline the procedures for handling complaints including where or to whom complaints can be made. Information will also be provided on the process for handling complaints; the time periods associated with various stages in the process; options for remedy, including external means; and how the complainant can obtain information on the status of the complaint.

Complaints of a general nature can be made to info@anglicanmissions.org.nz

For confidential or sensitive complaints, please email submissions@anglicanmissions.org.nz. These are received directly by the National Director, and are not seen by any other staff.

Complaints can also be presented orally (in person) to the National Director (+64 4 473 5172) or sent to PO Box 12 012, Thorndon, Wellington 6144, Aotearoa/New Zealand. 

Complaints may be made by a friend or advocate of the complainant on their behalf. It is recognised that in some circumstances, complainants may wish to remain anonymous. Any person implicated in a complaint will not be involved in any way with the handling of the complaint. 

The criteria below are based on two conditions: (i) should the complaint be about the National Director, then substitute with Board Chair; and (ii) for whatever reason, the complainant may not feel comfortable talking with the National Director. If that is the case, then the National Director and/or the Board Chair may appoint an alternative or designate to hear and handle the complaint.  

When an oral complaint is received, the National Director will: 

• Listen, record details, and determine what the person wants;  
• Confirm they have understood and received the details;  
• Show empathy for the person, but not attempt to take sides, lay blame or become defensive.  

Initial assessment of complaint. The National Director will: 

• Assess whether there is more than one issue raised in the complaint and whether each needs to be separately addressed.  
• Determine how a complaint should be managed and assess it in terms of the following:  
  • severity; 
  • urgency; 
  • complexity; 
  • potential to escalate; 
  • implications for the complainant (including health/mental health and financial); 
  • implications for Anglican Missions or the public (systemic implications); 
  • reputational risk. 

 If the complaint is deemed to be significant in terms of one or more of the above criteria, the National Director will classify the complaint accordingly, contact the Board Chair and, if necessary, an external investigating officer or team will be appointed. 

For all complaints the National Director will: 

• Seek from the person the outcome/s they are expecting;  
• Clearly explain to the person the course of action that will follow including: 
  • if the complaint is out of Anglican Missions jurisdiction;  
  • if Anglican Missions may exercise its discretion not to investigate;  
  • if preliminary enquiries need to be made, or further consideration needs to be given;  
  • if the complaint is to be investigated.  

• Avoid creating false expectations while assuring the person that the complaint will receive full attention;  
• Give an estimated timeframe or, if not possible, a date by which he/she will contact them; 
• Check whether the person is satisfied with the proposed action and, if not, advise them of alternatives; 
• Ensure that the complaint is appropriately acknowledged;  
• Follow up where necessary, and monitor whether the complainant is satisfied; and 
• Register the complaint. 

The National Director will endeavour to deal immediately with inquiries and minor complaints while ensuring the inquirer or complainant is completely satisfied with the information and/or the resolution provided. The National Director will attempt to determine whether further investigation is required or warranted. 

If the complainant disputes an assessment that a complaint should not be investigated further, the National Director will contact the Board Chair. If unresolvable and as a final option, the complainant can, given Anglican Missions is a full member of the Council for International Development (CID) be referred to the CID Code of Compliance Committee. 

The National Director will: 

• Ensure there is no conflict of interest in investigating the complaint. 
• Make every effort to investigate all circumstances and information surrounding a complaint. The degree of investigation will be commensurate with the seriousness and frequency of the complaint. This will inform what if any action is required. A more protracted investigation process may involve for example: 
  • establishing further facts and information; 
  • conducting interviews with those involved; 
  • taking legal and/or human resources (HR) advice; and 
  • carrying out internal audit processes.
• Inform the complainant in writing of the decision to investigate the complaint further and expected timeframes. If relevant, the person the complaint is about will be given an opportunity to respond to the complaint in writing.
• Review the complaint and may, at his/her discretion, seek additional information if required from the person the complaint is about, the complainant or external experts. The National Director may, if appropriate, attempt to conciliate between the parties or suggest independent conciliation or mediation.
• Prepare a draft report of the facts and issues.  Prior to finalisation, a copy of the draft report (without recommendations) will be provided to the person who the complaint is about (if relevant) and the complainant. They will normally have five working days to contest the contents and provide factual corrections.
• Consider any response from the person the complaint is about or complainant, finalise the report and make a recommendation to do one of the following: 
  • Dismiss the complaint; 
  • Review and implement any necessary corrective changes at Anglican Missions; 
  • Initiate disciplinary action if Anglican Missions staff are involved; 
  • Initiate an inquiry or a more detailed investigation; 
  • Refer the complainant to a more appropriate forum.
• Refer the final report to the Board for final determination. If, as a result of the investigation, it is felt that there is a case to answer by an employee or a volunteer then the appropriate HR policies and procedures will be followed.   

All complaints will be acknowledged within 24 hours. The National Director will strive to resolve minor complaints within five days. 

For more serious or complex complaints, where it is anticipated the investigation and resolution will take longer, the complainant will be advised of the process and the expected timeframe for resolution. In this case, complainants will be updated regularly on the progress of the investigation and expected time for resolution. 

Anglican Missions will ensure all relevant personnel are informed of the outcomes of complaints and any implications on the service provided by Anglican Missions. Anglican Missions will take on board any remedial action and will be prepared to change the way in which it operates and improves or undertakes further training for staff. In an extreme situation, counselling will be provided and where appropriate, the National Director will consult and take advice from CID and/or other relevant regulatory/enforcement agencies. 

All inquiries and complaints will be registered. The following information is required: 

• Date complaint received.
• Description of the complaint and relevant supporting data. 
• The requested remedy.  
• The due date for a response. 
• The immediate action taken (if any) to resolve the complaint. 

Children can lodge a complaint or incident report through a trusted adult and will follow the same steps outlined above. In some incidences of serious misconduct or any complaint involving the breaking of a local or national law, the appropriate authorities will be alerted. Anglican Missions will help assist in any way with a third party investigation. Children will be advised that at any stage of a project, if they have a complaint they can approach any member of the team on the ground who will direct them to an appropriate support person.   

The complainant will be advised that if they are unhappy about the response received from Anglican Missions or believe the corrective action has not been adequately implemented, and the complaint relates to a breach of the CID Code of Conduct, they can make a complaint to the Code of Conduct Committee of the CID Board (code@cid.org.nz).