The Council considers complaints against newspapers, magazines and periodicals in public circulation in New Zealand (including their websites). The Council retains the discretion to decline a complaint if the publication has limited readership or the circumstances make the complaint inappropiate for resolution by the Council.

The Council accepts complaints made in good faith by third parties not directly aggrieved, subject to the requirement set out in Complaints Procedure 13 below. The complaint procedure is free. Hearings are not open to the public, but complainants who apply to be heard in person are usually given that opportunity.

The Council's decisions are based on ethical considerations and the Council does not recover debts or seek monetary recompense for complainants. Its sanction is to require an offending publication to publish the essence of the decision upholding a complaint (in full or part), giving it fair prominence.

Complaints Procedure

1. If you have a complaint against a publication you must complain in writing to the editor first, within 3 months of the date of publication of the material in issue. Similarly complaints about non-publication must be made within the same period starting from the date it ought to have been published. This will acquaint the editor with the nature of the complaint and give an opportunity for the complaint to be resolved between you and the editor without recourse to the Press Council.
   
   
2. If you are not satisfied with the response from the editor (or, having allowed a reasonable interval, have received no reply) you should write promptly to the Secretary of the Press Council at PO Box 10-879, The Terrace, Wellington. Your letter should:
   
   (a) specify the nature of your complaint, giving precise details of the publication, (date and page) containing the material complained against. It will be of great assistance to the Council if you nominate the particular principle(s), from the 13 listed in the next section of this brochure, that you consider contravened by the material; and
   
   (b) enclose the following:

• copies of all correspondence with the editor;

• a clearly legible copy of the material complained against;

• any other relevant evidence in support of the complaint.
  

3. The Press Council copies the complaint to the editor, who is given 14 days to respond. A copy of that response is sent to you.
   

4. You then have 14 days in which to comment to the Council on the editor's response. There is no requirement for you to do so if you are satisfied that your initial complaint has adequately made your case.
   

5. If you do make such further comment, it is sent to the editor, who is given 14 days in which to make a final response to the Council. Full use of this procedure allows each party two opportunities to make a statement to the Council.
   

6. The Council's mission is to provide a full service to the public in regard to newspapers, magazines or periodicals published in New Zealand (including their websites) regardless of whether the publisher belongs to an organisation affiliated with the Council. If the publication challenges the jurisdiction of the Council to handle the complaint, or for any other reason does not cooperate, the Council will nevertheless proceed to make a decision as best it is able in the circumstances.
   

7. Members of the Press Council are each supplied prior to a Council meeting with a full copy of the complaint file, and make an adjudication after discussion at a meeting of the Council. Meetings are held about every six weeks.
   

8. The Council's adjudication is communicated in due course to the parties. If the Council upholds a complaint (in full or in part), the newspaper or magazine concerned must publish the essence of the adjudication, giving it fair prominence. If a complaint is not upheld, the publication concerned may publish a shortened version of the adjudication.
   

9. There is no appeal from a Council adjudication. However, the Council is prepared to re-examine a decision if a party could show that a decision was based on a material error of fact, or new material had become available that had not been placed before the Council.
   

10. In circumstances where a legally actionable issue may be involved, you will be required to provide a written undertaking that, having referred the matter to the Press Council, you will not take or continue proceedings against the publication or journalist concerned. This is to avoid the possibility of the Press Council adjudication being used as a "trial run" for litigation.
    

11. The Council in its case records will retain all documents submitted in presentation of a case and your submission of documents will be regarded as evidence that you accept this rule.
    

12. The foregoing points all relate to complaints against newspapers, magazines and other publications. Complaints about conduct of persons and organisations towards the press should be initiated by way of a letter to the Secretary of the New Zealand Press Council.
    

13. The Press Council will consider a third-party complaint (i.e. from a person who is not personally aggrieved) relating to a published item, but if the circumstances appear to the Council to require the consent of an individual involved in the complaint it reserves the right to require from such an individual his or her consent in writing to the Council adjudicating on the issue of the complaint.