The Human Rights Commission has received a complaint arising from a break-in to the University of Otago computer system which allowed a hacker to send out hundreds of private emails allegedly written by a department head.
The anonymous complaint was made under the Protected Disclosures Act, which, among other purposes, seeks to protect the identity of whistle-blowers and safeguard them from being harmed by their disclosures.
Commission spokesman Gilbert Wong said the commission was seeking legal advice over several aspects of the complaint, but mainly over whether the commission had jurisdiction to deal with the matter itself.
Complaints made under the Protected Disclosures Act were usually considered by the Office of the Ombudsmen, but there were also provisions in the Act allowing matters to be raised with other agencies, Mr Wong said.
Otago University officials said last month the university had laid a complaint of hacking with the police.
Prof Vernon Squire, the university pro-vice-chancellor, sciences, said in an email sent to recipients of the hacked emails that those emails were an attempt to discredit the dean of the university School of Surveying, Prof Brent Hall.
Prof Hall had the full support of the university, Prof Squire said.
University officials declined to make any further comment on the matter.
