New research released on World Whistleblower Day shows
that around a third of people who blew the whistle on
serious wrongdoing at their workplace last year, claimed
they lost their job as a result.
The Office of the
Ombudsman’s annual nationwide survey by AK Research on
people’s awareness and knowledge of the Protected
Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022, shows
that of those who claimed to have made a protected
disclosure, more than half felt they experienced
retaliation.
Four out of ten claimed to have been
bullied or harassed, 29 percent claimed they had lost their
job and a fifth say they were demoted.
“Our own
figures are supported by Australian research which shows
that up to 94% of disclosers experience stress-related
emotional problems,” says Chief Ombudsman John
Allen.
“The survey also shows that confidentiality is
a barrier to reporting with more than a quarter of
respondents saying that their confidentiality wouldn’t be
guaranteed if they made a disclosure and another three out
of ten were unsure.
“This is a wakeup call. Some
people clearly do not feel they are protected by the law and
there may be issues with the practice and culture within
organisations that are also proving to be a
barrier.”
Fewer than half of those surveyed felt their
job would be safe if they made a protected disclosure and
nearly a third felt their job would not be safe.
Fear
of losing their job and retaliation by other staff or
manager was cited as the main reason for not feeling
safe.
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“Workers and the general public need more
support and guidance as part of the post-disclosure
protections that already exist,” Mr Allen
says.
“Workplaces should also consider what support
they can offer to those who experience
retaliation.”
Mr Allen says it is important to address
these issues because whistleblowing can make a real
difference to individuals, organisations and wider
society.
“I can’t stress enough the value of people
speaking out. Disclosures can address concerns raised by
individuals, but they can also address wider systemic issues
that can affect all New Zealanders.
“A whistleblowing
investigation can bring about significant systemic
change.”
The survey also showed that 24 percent of
people said they had witnessed serious wrongdoing at work,
but of those only 37 percent made a protected disclosure.
This is down from 2025, where half of people who witnessed
serious wrongdoing made a disclosure.
“As well as
employees being able to make disclosures to their
workplaces, anyone can make a disclosure to us if they
believe they have witnessed serious wrongdoing at work and
want to report it.
“We can receive disclosures about
public and private sector and Non- Government Organisation
or NGO workplaces. While we can’t investigate private
sector and NGO organisations, we can refer these disclosures
on to the right place.”
In 2024/25, the Office of the
Ombudsman received 287 protected disclosure matters and is
expecting to receive more than 320 protected disclosures
matters over 2025/26.
Notes:
The sample size for
the survey was n=1018, with the margin of error for a 50%
figure at the 95% confidence level being ± 3.1%.
The
2026 survey was conducted from 13 to 27 April 2026.
Read
the latest survey on awareness and knowledge of the
Protected Disclosures Protection of Whistleblowers) Act
2022
