This work follows the high-profile case last year of Ministry of Transport workers who raised concerns about fraudster Joanne Harrison, and then lost their jobs in a restructure that Harrison was involved in.
Harrison, a ministry senior manager, stole $726,000 from the ministry and was jailed for three years and seven months, after charges were laid by the Serious Fraud Office.
In the aftermath, State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes ordered an investigation, which found the three ministry employees suffered disadvantage, including hurt and humiliation, but did not lose their jobs because of their whistle-blowing.
It also found that ministry workers were uncertain of the complaints process for whistle-blowers, and were fearful about the repercussions of speaking out.
The fallout included the resignation of Auditor-general Martin Matthews.
A State Services Commission review was launched into the Protected Disclosures Act, and State Services Minister Chris Hipkins said a series of workshops would begin next week.
‘‘It is crucial that employees feel safe to report cases of serious misconduct,’’ Mr Hipkins said.
‘‘Getting this right is critical to building public confidence in the integrity of government and business in New Zealand.’’
Mr Hipkins said recent analysis suggested that the law might not be working as effectively as it could.
The law aims to protect people who report serious wrongdoing in the workplace, but it requires an employee to first raise their concerns with their employer before they can go to an appropriate authority such as police.
The law does not protect employees who leak confidential information to the press.
