A former volunteer firefighter who spent a decade fighting for her sexual harassment complaint to be taken seriously says new standards from the Public Service Commission are progress, but whistleblower protections remain inadequate.
The new standards follow a survey of public servants, which found 12 per cent of respondents had experienced harassment or bullying in the last year.
Of those, 37 per cent decided not to report it.
The new rules will require agencies to communicate regularly with complainants, provide legal support in some circumstances, and set out ways for complainants to raise concerns outside their organisation.
In May, Fire and Emergency apologised unreservedly to Sarah Hullah for failing to properly investigate a series of complaints over 10 years.
She's calling for an independent body for whistleblowers in both the public and private sectors. Kathryn speaks with her, Public Service Commissioner, Sir Brian Roche, and employment lawyer Barbara Buckett.
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
