They can:

• advise you on the steps that can be taken to resolve or help the situation,
• Look into complaints
• Work with  social media platforms, website hosts, internet service providers and others to remove harmful posts, comments, messages or other content
• Get in touch with the person or people that are threatening you to try and resolve the issue-but they won’t contact them unless you say its OK
• Let you know about your legal options and the possible outcome if you want to take your complaint to the district court (if Netsafe can’t help you reach a resolution)

Contacting Netsafe

You can make a report through their website https://www.netsafe.org.nz/report/ or you can free phone them  seven days a week on 0508 NETSAFE. They’re open between 8am and 8pm on weekdays, and between 9am and 5pm on weekends and public holidays.

You can make the report yourself, or someone can do it on your behalf.

What happens next?

• When you phone them, they will ask you questions so they can understand what’s going on
• If you have evidence like screenshots or links to content and messages, it’s helpful to be able to send these through.
• When you make a report online, you will be asked to select from a range of multi choice questions to give information about the situation
• You will also be asked how concerned you are for your safety.
• Whether you make your report by phone or using the online form, you will be given a report number that will create a ‘thread’ of emails to keep all of the communication together.