MNZ, its staff and the Director of Maritime New Zealand exercise a diverse range of functions and powers as set out in law. When people deal with us, we endeavour to ensure that the following standards of service are applied:

We will treat everyone with courtesy and appropriate respect.
We will act in a helpful, timely, accurate and professional manner.
We will identify ourselves by name when communicating with you and, where
appropriate, provide evidence of our employment with MNZ.
We will acknowledge all written correspondence and inquiries within 10 working
days of receipt.
We will substantively address all inquiries within 20 working days of receipt,
or provide regular progress reports on issues that cannot be dealt with in that timeframe.

Service charter complaints procedure

If you believe that we have failed to meet the standards of service set out in this
charter, you may lodge a complaint setting out which standards of service you
believe we have failed to meet.
All service charter complaints must be made in writing and addressed to:

The Director of Maritime New Zealand
Level 10, Optimation House, 1 Grey Street
PO Box 27006, WELLINGTON 6141
Facsimile (04) 494 8903
All complaints made in accordance with this service charter will be acknowledged
within 5 working days of receipt and will name the contact person responsible for
co-ordinating and addressing the complaint.
The contact person will address the complaint without delay, and if this requires a longer period, shall provide you with monthly progress reports.
The final decision regarding a complaint will be communicated to you in writing, setting out what remedies, as applicable, are available.

Remedies

When it is determined that the standards of service set out in this charter have not
been met, MNZ is committed to finding a mutually acceptable remedy to rectify the
situation. Remedies may include:

Providing an apology.
Providing a response, or accurate and/or complete information to satisfy the
original request.
Identifying and implementing corrective measures, which could include a change
in MNZ policies and procedures, to prevent a similar situation from recurring.

Appointment of an independent person

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of, or the handling of a complaint made
under this service charter, you may request that an independent person is appointed
to resolve the matter. All such requests must be made in writing and addressed to:

The Chairperson, Maritime New Zealand
c/o The Director of Maritime New Zealand
Level 10, Optimation House, 1 Grey Street
PO Box 27006, WELLINGTON 6141
Facsimile (04) 494 8903

If the Chairperson agrees to refer a matter to an independent person the following
procedure will apply:

The Chairperson or Deputy Chairperson shall approve terms of reference
for the inquiry to be conducted by the independent person.
The complainant and MNZ will be invited to make submissions to the
independent person within agreed time frames.
The independent person shall consider the submissions and make
recommendations to the Chairperson regarding the complaint.
The Chairperson shall consider the recommendations made by the independent
person and take such action as may be appropriate in the circumstances.
The complainant and MNZ will be notified of the recommendations made and
the decisions taken in respect of such recommendations.

NOTE: The standards of service and the remedies set out in this charter may
not apply in circumstances in which statutory powers of decision making are
involved and/or in circumstances for which specific legal remedies are already
provided for. The situations involving such statutory decisions include decisions made in relation to, amongst other things:

Considerations relating to the assessment, issue, suspension and
revocation of maritime documents.
Decisions relating to the assessment of applications for exemptions.
Decisions relating to the enforcement of the provisions of the Act,
including the decision to issue infringement notices, or to prosecute persons for offences committed under the Act.
Decisions regarding the handling or release of private or official information as defined under the Privacy Act 1993 and the Official Information Act 1982.