Why hire an external investigator instead of using internal HR?

An independent, external investigator has no stake in the outcome and no existing relationship with anyone involved. That removes any perception of bias, protects your HR team from being conflicted, and means that if the matter is ever tested at the Employment Relations Authority or in court, you can show the investigation was conducted by an impartial outsider. It is one of the strongest ways to keep a process genuinely fair to both sides.

Can you investigate a staff complaint independently?

Yes. Many New Zealand employers engage an external investigator for serious or sensitive matters so the process is genuinely impartial and procedurally fair - which protects both the complainant and the organisation.

Is a workplace investigation lawful and private?

Yes. We work within the Privacy Act 2020 and alongside the Employment Relations Act framework. Evidence is gathered lawfully and everything is handled in strict confidence.

What kinds of matters do you cover?

Bullying and harassment, discrimination, misconduct and serious misconduct, staff theft, time and expense fraud, conflicts of interest, confidentiality and policy breaches, personal grievances and protected disclosures (whistleblowing).

Will your findings stand up if the matter goes to the ERA or court?

That is the point of doing it properly. We gather evidence lawfully, interview correctly, and document everything to an evidential standard, so the findings are defensible if the matter is later tested at the Employment Relations Authority, in mediation, or in court.

Service · Workplace & HR

Workplace investigations, fairly handled.

Independent, licensed investigations into workplace misconduct, bullying, theft and grievances — carried out by an outside investigator so there’s no internal bias, and documented so the findings stand up if the matter is ever tested.

Commission an Investigation 📞 021 0299 7590

Independent No internal bias ERA & Court Ready findings Privacy Act 2020 Compliant PSPLA #22-099124

A set of brass balance scales beside a closed HR case file on a dark desk under a brass lamp, representing an impartial independent workplace investigation

The case for an outsider

An independent investigator.
No internal bias.

When a complaint is serious or sensitive, who looks into it matters as much as what they find. If HR or a manager investigates their own people, the outcome can always be questioned — by the complainant, by the respondent, or later by the Employment Relations Authority.

Bringing in a licensed external investigator removes that doubt. We have no stake in the result and no relationship with anyone involved. We hear both sides, gather the evidence lawfully, and hand back findings you can act on — and defend — precisely because an impartial outsider reached them.

✓ No internal bias — neither side can say the process was stacked
✓ If it reaches the ERA or court, an outsider conducted it
✓ Protects your HR team and your people from being conflicted

Commission an independent investigation → 📞 021 0299 7590

Findings that stand up.

An employment matter can unravel over one thing: how it was investigated. A rushed, in-house or one-sided process is exactly what gets picked apart at mediation or the Employment Relations Authority.

As licensed investigators, we gather evidence lawfully, interview both sides properly, and document everything to an evidential standard. The result is a defensible findings report — one you can rely on whether the matter ends quietly or is formally tested.

What we investigate

The matters we look into.

From a single quiet complaint to a serious allegation, we investigate the full range of workplace matters — lawfully, impartially, and in confidence.

Conduct & Behaviour

Bullying & harassment · Sexual harassment · Discrimination · Inappropriate or threatening behaviour · Code of conduct breaches

Theft & Fraud

Staff theft · Time & expense fraud · Procurement & invoicing fraud · Misuse of company assets · Cash & stock discrepancies

Integrity & Compliance

Conflicts of interest · Confidentiality & data breaches · Company policy breaches · Health & safety breaches · Moonlighting & secret dealings

Grievances & Complaints

Personal grievances · Protected disclosures (whistleblowing) · Serious misconduct · Disciplinary matters · Cross-complaints between staff

For employers, HR & lawyers

Why organisations bring us in.

Employers, HR teams and employment lawyers engage us when a matter is too serious, too close to home, or too contested to handle internally. An external investigation protects the people involved — and the organisation — by being demonstrably fair from the first interview to the final report.

An empty interview room with two chairs facing each other, representing a fair two-sided workplace investigation

Demonstrably impartial

An outsider with no history and no stake in the outcome. Both sides get a fair hearing, and no one can credibly argue the process was rigged in anyone’s favour.

A bound findings report with an embossed seal on a dark desk, representing court- and ERA-ready documentation

Defensible if tested

Evidence gathered lawfully, interviews conducted correctly, everything documented to an evidential standard — so the findings hold up at the ERA, in mediation or in court.

A closed confidential file with a brass clasp beside a phone face-down on a dark desk, representing strict confidentiality

Discreet & confidential

Sensitive matters handled quietly, away from the office grapevine. Reputations and working relationships are protected while the facts are established.

An investigator's desk with document files, a voice recorder and a magnifier, representing thorough lawful evidence gathering

Frees your team

Your managers and HR stay out of the conflict and keep running the business, while a licensed investigator carries the workload and the scrutiny.

Engage an external investigator → ✉ Email in confidence

What you get

What you walk away with.

A defensible account of what happened

A clear, documented findings report built on lawfully gathered evidence — something you can rely on and act on.

A process both sides can trust

An impartial, procedurally fair investigation that protects your people and your organisation if the matter is ever tested.

Findings that stand up to scrutiny

Evidence-grade, court- and ERA-ready documentation, with interviews and records handled correctly from the start.

Clarity to act with confidence

A plain-English picture of where things stand, so you know your position and your options before you make a decision.

How it works

From quiet concern to clear findings.

Confidential conversation

Tell us what’s happened. We’ll scope it, confirm we’re the right fit and agree how the investigation will run.

Document files, a voice recorder and a magnifier on a desk representing lawful evidence gathering and interviews

We investigate lawfully

Interviews, evidence gathering and document review — Privacy Act 2020 compliant, impartial, and with you kept informed.

A finished findings report sealed in an envelope beside a pen on a dark desk

Clear written findings

A documented findings report. You decide the next steps and stay in control of what happens.

Why Blacklisted

Licensed. Nationwide. Discreet.

Licensed

Licensed under the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010 — PSPLA company licence #22-099124. Everything we do is lawful and something we can stand behind in writing.

Nationwide

Based in Taranaki and working right across New Zealand. Wherever the matter sits — Auckland to Invercargill — we can be there.

Discreet

Discretion is the foundation of how we work. Your enquiry, and the fact that you made it, stays strictly confidential.

What it costs

Honest, scope-based pricing.

Every matter is different, so we don’t publish one-size-fits-all pricing. Tell us what’s going on and we’ll give you a clear, confidential, obligation-free quote based on the actual scope of the work — no pressure, and no nasty surprises.

🔗 Related: our full private investigations service — surveillance and background checks that often support a workplace matter.

Talk to us

Need an independent investigator?

Tell us the situation in confidence. We’ll confirm we’re the right fit, scope the work and keep the process fair for everyone involved.

Discuss a Workplace Matter → 📞 021 0299 7590

All enquiries strictly confidential · Licensed PSPLA #22-099124 · Privacy Act 2020 compliant