Source: Office of the Ombudsman
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.
“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.
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.
Key resources
For employers and appropriate authorities:
For disclosers: