13Reports may be made to Commissioner

13 Reports may be made to Commissioner

13 Reports may be made to Commissioner

(1) A person may make a report to the Commissioner about the following—

(a) an adult with disability or older adult if the person has reasonable grounds to believe the adult is subject to, or at risk of, abuse, neglect or exploitation,

(b) circumstances that the person has reasonable grounds to believe will result in the abuse, neglect or exploitation of an adult with disability or older adult.

(2) Without limiting subsection (1), an adult with disability or older adult may make a report to the Commissioner if the adult has reasonable grounds to believe the adult is subject to, or at risk of, abuse, neglect or exploitation.

(3) A report does not need to be in writing.

(4) If a person, acting in good faith, makes a report to the Commissioner in accordance with this section, that person is not liable to any civil or criminal action, or any disciplinary action, for making the report.

(5) The Commissioner may do any one or more of the following in respect of a report—

(a) conduct an investigation,

(b) make a referral to another person or body,

(c) decline to take action on the report.

(6) The Commissioner may, at the Commissioner’s own initiative, decide to deal with a matter as a report under this section if the matter relates to an adult with disability or older adult that the Commissioner has reasonable grounds to believe is subject to, or at risk of, abuse, neglect or exploitation.

(7) The Commissioner may make preliminary inquiries for the purposes of deciding how to deal with a report and may request further information from the person making the report.

(8) If the Commissioner is of the opinion that a report, or part of a report, constitutes a complaint that may be made to any of the following persons or bodies, the Commissioner may refer the report, or the part of the report, to the person or body—

(a) the Health Care Complaints Commission under the Health Care Complaints Act 1993,