ECM New Zealand Complaints Handling Procedure
Our complaints policy
We are committed to providing a high-quality service to all our mission partners, volunteers, sending churches, and supporters. When something goes wrong, we want to know about it. This will help us to learn and improve. We intend:
- to deal with complaints fairly, efficiently and effectively;
- to ensure that all complaints are handled in a consistent manner throughout;
- to use complaints constructively in the planning and improvement of all our operations.
If you have a complaint, please contact us with the details. Where possible, we will aim to resolve this informally by telephone or face-to-face. If the informal process fails, we will follow the formal procedure outlined below.
Please ensure that you provide us details of the complaint in writing by email to
director.nz@ecmi.org
If we do not resolve your complaint within 8 weeks, you may escalate your complaint directly to the Chair of Trustees.
What will happen next?
1. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint and outline our complaint procedure.
2. We will then investigate your complaint. This usually involves contacting you to confirm your details, reviewing the complaint and speaking with those concerned including the staff member(s) involved.
3. We will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. The meeting will either be in person or online. You are entitled to bring a nominated support person to the meeting.
4. Following the meeting, we will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions that have been agreed with you.
5. If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, we will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including suggestions for resolving the matter.
6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should let us know and we will arrange for the Chair of Trustees to review the decision. Their decision is final.
7. If, as a result of your complaint, disciplinary proceedings are taken against a member of ECM NZ’s staff, an internal procedure will apply. You will be informed that disciplinary proceedings have taken place. However, we will not be able to give you any details of employee disciplinary proceedings as they are protected by confidentiality under New Zealand law.
8. If criminal behaviour is alleged against any employee or member of ECM NZ, we either inform New Zealand Police directly, or advise that you do so.
Alternatively, you can make a complaint to Charities Services by email at compliance@dia.govt.nz or by writing to:
Charities Services
PO Box 12138
Thorndon
Wellington Central 6144
November 2022
