Barriers to seeking support or making a complaint Perpetrators tend to be in senior positions. Fear of consequences and a lack of adequate or effective complaints and support processes are large barriers to Māori seeking support or making a complaint. BARRIERS • For 66% of Māori workers subjected to harassment or bullying, the perpetrator was someone in a more senior position. • Nearly half of Māori workers don’t seek support or complain for fear of the consequences (47%). 35% felt complaining would be ineffective due to workplace cultural norms and 33% felt their complaint would not be believed or kept confidential. “I was a new manager, a contractor reporting to me was the CEO’s brother. He bullied me and got my other 3 staff behind him so that they wouldn’t listen to me, questioned everything I asked or would do the opposite of what I asked them. He complained about me behind my back to other management and they just believed him without asking me for my side. I went to HR officer, unfortunately she was his niece so she just said “Oh Uncle … he’s such a softie!!” - no help there for me!” - Māori male who was working in the health care and social assistance sector “I made an internal complaint about the company and was labelled a “troublemaker.” - Māori female who was working in the information media and telecommunications sector KANTAR PUBLIC 2022 67