Media Publications

A review of New Zealand's disability services prompted by a mother murdering her autistic daughter has found no failings by individual staff, but warns "there will be more Rubys" unless services improve. The independent review of services used by Donella Knox and her daughter Ruby has identified a series of systemic service issues contributing to Ruby's death two years ago.

A disabled Wellington man injured in a diving accident had his ACC support cut off seven years ago. For many disabled Kiwis ACC is not available because there was no accident. In part two of a three-part series Cate Broughton examines how we treat those with disabilities – with and without ACC

ACC’s planned new automated process to speed up simple claims has a Dunedin barrister up in arms, alleging the agency will breach clients’ human rights. ACC will later this year introduce a statistical model to determine the probability a claim will be accepted.

ACC paid $3.7 billion to help injured Kiwis last year, while turning down at least 100,000 for cover. In part one of a three-part series, CATE BROUGHTON examines what happens when claims are declined.

Dispute resolution providers FairWay have hit back at allegations by lawyers that the ACC review system lacks independence.

The Accident Compensation Corporation's relationship with the firm it has contracted to review ACC decisions is ethically wrong and may turn out to be legally wrong as well, a leading ACC lawyer says.

A leading Dunedin ACC lawyer says he cannot recommend clients take disputed claims to a tribunal to be resolved because of concerns about the independence of the process.

A lawyer representing ACC claimants says the corporation has been acting illegally by contracting out its dispute resolution services to a private company. Dunedin barrister Warren Forster says this calls into question thousands of cases where people have lost a dispute over their claim. The Accident Compensation Corporation contracts the private company Fairway to resolve disputed claims but Mr Forster says they don't have the legal authority to do so.

A man employed to review ACC cases believes he was fired because too many decisions went against ACC. The man, who did not want to be named, worked for Fairway Resolution Limited as a contract reviewer for a 10-month period in 2016 and 2017 before being fired.

A lawyer representing ACC claimants says the corporation has been acting illegally by contracting out its dispute resolution services to a private company.