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To: The Honourable Scott Simpson, Minister for ACC, New Zealand Parliament.

ACC SYSTEMIC MALADMINISTRATION & MANDATORY TIMEFRAME REFORMS

This image is the beginning of our story — a child fighting for life while a system meant to protect us repeatedly failed. Our petition speaks not only for her, but for every whānau still trying to survive the consequences of ACC’s neglect.
ACC Decision Delays in Children’s Claims
The image above is the beginning of our story — a child fighting for life while a system meant to protect us repeatedly failed. Our petition speaks not only for her, but for every whānau still trying to survive the consequences of ACC’s neglect.

New Zealanders are routinely harmed by unreasonable delays, lost documentation, inconsistent decision-making, and procedural failures within the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).
Current legislation provides no enforceable timeframes, no penalties for breach, and no automatic redress when delays or omissions occur.

Families suffer financial hardship, untreated injuries, and extreme emotional strain while waiting months or years for decisions.
Repeated cases (e.g., missing ACC45/ACC2152 forms, lost medical notes, unreasonable delays exceeding statutory expectations) show this is a systemic, not individual issue.

We request Parliament to amend the Accident Compensation Act 2001 to include:
  1. Mandatory statutory decision timeframes
    • Maximum 45 days for cover decisions.
    • Maximum 60 days for treatment injury decisions.
    • Maximum 30 days for internal reassessment after new evidence is supplied.
  2. Automatic compensation for delay
    • Mandatory backdated weekly compensation from the date the timeframe is breached.
    • A fixed compensation payment for failure to meet statutory requirements.
  3. Penalties for administrative negligence
    • Financial penalties to ACC for repeated breaches.
    • Requirement for corrective action and monitoring when systemic issues are identified.
  4. Independent oversight
    • Ombudsman empowered to order compliance within set deadlines.
    • Annual public report on ACC delay statistics and systemic breaches.

Why is this important?

I care deeply about this issue because I have seen firsthand how ACC delays, lost documents, and repeated administrative failures cause real harm to ordinary New Zealanders. The image above is the beginning of our story — a child fighting for life while a system meant to protect us repeatedly failed. Our petition speaks not only for her, but for every whānau still trying to survive the consequences of ACC’s neglect.

When decisions take months or years, families are left without income, without treatment, and without answers. These are not isolated mistakes — they are systemic failures affecting people from every region and every background. No New Zealander should suffer financially or emotionally because an agency did not meet its basic responsibilities. Timely decisions and clear accountability are not luxuries; they are the foundation of a fair and trustworthy public system. 

This reform is about ensuring that every person in Aotearoa is treated with dignity, urgency, and justice.






Updates

2025-12-15 15:06:39 +1300

This linked reference relates to Liam-Anaru Wharehinga-Harmer, who became seriously unwell at the age of three. In 2016, following a fall at camp, Liam was clinically assessed and his symptoms were misattributed, delaying recognition of the underlying condition. His illness was later identified as rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive childhood cancer that had been misdiagnosed, resulting in missed opportunities for timely assessment and intervention. Liam died on 26 July 2017, aged eight.

Liam’s case is not isolated. It is directly linked to the systemic maladministration experienced by his cousin, Shalom Wharehinga, raising serious concerns regarding failures in clinical assessment, diagnostic oversight, escalation pathways, and inter-agency accountability. Matters relating to Liam’s health-care treatment are before the HDC.

Photograph of Liam-Anaru Wharehinga-Harmer (deceased):
https://imgur.com/a/CQutHef

2025-12-07 05:40:24 +1300

100 signatures reached

2025-12-04 11:36:55 +1300

50 signatures reached

2025-12-03 23:29:22 +1300

25 signatures reached

2025-12-03 22:04:16 +1300

10 signatures reached