Source: Privacy Commissioner
A woman complained on behalf of her elderly father that a hospital had incorrectly recorded he had a history of cancer. The incorrect information was subsequently released to another agency, which later used it in a report sent to the father. As a consequence, the man worried that he had cancer and no-one had told him. The hospital apologised and corrected the error after the mans distressed whnau queried the false health information held by the other agency. The mans daughter complained on his behalf to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. The complaint:
In her complaint to our Office, the mans daughter spoke of the ongoing emotional damage caused by the error including how the mana and tapu of her father and whnau had been hurt.
