COMPLAINTS AND ETHICS

New Zealand Football is committed to promoting responsible and respectful behaviour to ensure people feel safe when involved in football in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Making a Complaint

NZF's Disciplinary and Ethics Committee is designed to hear complaints from anyone involved in football relating to breaches of:

  1.  the NZF Code of Conduct;
  2.  the NZF Disciplinary Code;
  3.  the NZF Code of Ethics; and
  4.   the NZF Guidelines for Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults.

This process allows complainants to contact an independent Disciplinary and Ethics Committee who will assist them in resolving their concerns.

The privacy and confidentiality of this process are important and New Zealand Football respects the New Zealand Privacy Act provisions in this regard.

The Complaints Process

  • The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee will listen to your complaint;
  • The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee will inform you whether your complaint is something that can be dealt with through this process, and if not, the alternative options for pursuing your complaint;
  • The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee will record information about you and your complaint in order for it to be managed / resolved and in order for NZF to monitor the complaints being made and how they are being resolved.
  • All details will be kept confidential except in exceptional situations where disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious risk to the life or health of any person, as provided for in the New Zealand Privacy Act.
  • The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee may refer you to the appropriate football organisation for your complaint to be dealt with. This could mean NZF itself, a Federation, or a Club.
  • The football organisation may need to investigate the complaint, and may need to contact you to obtain more information.
  • The NZF Code of Ethics, and the NZF Disciplinary Code provides a range of offences and the potential sanctions from a caution or warning, to bans on attending matches, to suspensions from involvement in playing, refereeing, coaching, or administering football, and other sanctions as appropriate.
  • Employment complaints received by the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee will be referred to the relevant organisation for them to administer to their own workplace policies with respect to the relevant individual employment agreement and in accordance with the relevant employment legislation.
  • You will be advised on the result of the hearing by the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee or relevant football organisation.

If you wish to comment on the above matters or process, you can send us an email via the button or contact your local federation.