Make an anonymous report
The Ara Institute of Canterbury (The Institution) regards harmful and/or inappropriate behaviours involving staff or students, whether on or off campus, as unacceptable.
We want people to feel safe to speak up and be heard. Outlined below are the actions any student, staff or visitor can take in regards to making a formal complaint or anonymous informal complaint/disclosure at Ara.
If you would like to make an informal anonymous report to the Institution, this can be done using the form on this page. Most of the questions asked are optional, but it is recommended to answer as many as you can. Making an anonymous report does not prevent you from making a complaint through the formal complaints process, or reporting the incident to the New Zealand Police, if you wish to do so.
Make an informal report
For more information, please visit the FAQ page.
1) The purpose of this form is to allow Ara to collect information on the nature of events that occur on campus or which involve our staff and students. Ara will use this information for two purposes.
To identify trends that inform decisions for improving the safety and wellbeing of staff and students.
Allow individuals to be heard by Ara without submitting a formal complaint.
Please note that the use of this form does not constitute a formal complaint to Ara. Ara has limited ability to investigate anonymous reports. In some circumstances, Ara may be able to investigate or act on information obtained in reports, such as where there is independent corroborating evidence.
2) This information will be kept as long as required to meet the purpose above, and as required by the General Disposal Authority. After this time, the official procedure will be followed to dispose the data.
3) This information will be held in a highly secure environment and will be treated as highly confidential. Access to this information is restricted to limited members of staff who are responsible for the content of the reports and for administering the tool. If there is sufficient contextual evidence or other information that allows the Ara to identify a complainant or others involved, this will also be held securely.
4) If an individual is named or otherwise identified in an anonymous report, Ara reserves the right to inform them of this, and the content of the report.
5) This information will not be supplied to third parties unless required under specific circumstances. This includes where Ara is assisting the Police in an investigation, or Ara is concerned about the safety of individuals. Where this occurs, it will be undertaken by the Privacy Officer in accordance with the Privacy Act. Statistical and trend analysis of information supplied in this form will be used by Ara to inform decision making which may improve the safety and security of its staff and students. Reports may be used to supplement investigations or disciplinary activities where there is independent corroborating evidence or where reports are sufficiently concerning.
6) The Privacy Act allows individuals to access or change their information. Please note, as this formis anonymous, we will not be able to identify your report. This means it will not be possible to request or amend your report. Third parties named in reports may access and, if necessary, amend their information under Principle 7 of the Act.
What happens with my anonymous report?
Only a limited number of specialist staff will have access to the information provided in the anonymous report. Responsibility for identifying what actions are taken on the basis of the content of reports received through the tool resides with those specialised staff. Aggregated data and trends are provided to the senior leadership team, better understand the nature of incidents experienced by students and staff from Ara, and to undertake actions such as education and training aimed at reducing the incidence of bullying, harassment, discrimination and assault
The formal complaints process involves formal investigation of a concern, complaint, grievance or appeal made in writing to the Institution. The Institution aims to resolve formal complaints in a timely manner, and students or staff using it will be kept informed of progress. You can find out more about this process here.
If you want to report a crime, Ara encourages you to do so either directly to the Police, or anonymously through Crimestoppers. Crimestoppers is an independent charity that helps people to fight crime by providing an anonymous and simple way to pass on information to the authorities. A crime is defined as an action or omission which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law. Crimestoppers can be anonymously informed through an online email form or anonymous phone call on 0800 555 111.