You should know

The home phone service provided by One NZ runs over our broadband and relies on the power in your home to operate. This means that during a power outage, you will not be able to call 111 emergency services on your home phone, unless you have a backup power source. This is true for technologies including Fibre, Fixed Wireless and HFC.

Devices that don't have built-in batteries will also stop working in a power cut and you won't be able to use them for 111 emergency calls, eg:

• Some medical alarms
• Some house alarms
• Cordless home phones

Options for calling 111 during a power cut

• It's a good idea to always have a charged mobile phone handy that could be used during a power outage.
• An uninterruptible power supply, such as a generator or battery, will also help your telecommunications service and devices continue to work for a limited period of time in an event of a power cut.

Support we provide for vulnerable customers

If you (or someone in your household) is at particular risk of requiring the 111 emergency service, and you have no other means for contacting 111 emergency services that can be operated for 8 hours in a power cut, we can help.

• If you qualify, One NZ must provide you with a means to contact 111 that can be operated for 8 hours during a power outage, free of charge
• Only one alternative means of contacting 111 will be provided per household. The device provided will be based on your needs in respect of your particular risk as a vulnerable customer

Our customers' safety is a priority for us. We cannot deny any customer access to our home phone or broadband services just because they are or might be vulnerable and require extra support.

If you leave One NZ, you will need to return the alternative means of contacting 111 we provided to you. You will also be removed from our Vulnerable Customer Register. You will need to reapply for this support with your new provider.

Vulnerable Customer Registration

What is a vulnerable customer?

1. You (or someone in your household) is at particular risk of needing to call 111 emergency services for health, safety, or disability reasons; and  
2. You have a voice calling over broadband service provided over Fibre, HFC, VDSL, ADSL or Wireless technology and you, or someone you live with, do not have access to a traditional copper phone line.
   Note: The Code only applies to landline voice services. Broadband only customers cannot apply; and 
3. You (or a person in your household) have no means to contact the 111 emergency service at the premises, or the means that you do have can't be operated for a continuous 8-hour period in the event of a power failure.   

How to apply:

It's easy to apply.

Just download the 111 Contact Code  Vulnerable Customer Register application (PDF 536KB) , fill it out with all the correct details (including any evidence required) and return it to us via email or post.

Email to: 111register@one.nz

or

Post it to: 

• Attn:  111 Vulnerable Consumer Register  
• One New Zealand  
• Limited Private Bag 92143  
• Auckland 1142  

Alternatively, you can call us on 0800 438 448 between 8am and 7pm Monday to Friday, and we'll work through the application with you. You can also call us if you have any questions about registering as a vulnerable customer or anything else on this webpage, including whether you or someone you know may be a vulnerable customer.

Please note that we cannot fully process your application until we have all the information needed. If we require more information than is provided, we'll be in touch. 

Once your application is submitted it can take up to 10 working days for us to process it, after which we will contact you to let you know if your application was successful or not. 

What if the vulnerable person is unable to complete their application?

If you are one of our customers (the Account holder) or a person who is listed as an authority on the customer's account, you can apply on behalf of someone who lives at the premises where the home phone line is supplied.

Alternatively, if the vulnerable person is unable to submit an application, please provide us with details of a nominated person for us to get in touch with. A nominated person is somebody who, by virtue of their occupation, is capable of verifying that you are at risk of requiring 111 emergency services. Please ensure your nominated person has given you permission before you include them in your application. 

Here are a few examples of an acceptable nominated person:

• A health practitioner (like your GP)
• A Police Officer
• Registered social worker
• A lawyer
• A family court judge

What happens to the information provided when registering?

Due to the requirements of the 111 Contact Code as set out by the Commerce Commission, there may be instances where your application status may need to be shared. By applying, you understand and consent to us sharing your application status with the Commerce Commission. However we will never share your personal details, or any of this information with third parties that are not related to supporting your status as a vulnerable customer. 

Complaints and disputes

One NZ has specific responsibilities under the Commerce Commission 111 Contact Code. If you think that we haven't met these responsibilities or are not satisfied with the vulnerable customer application process and wish to make a complaint, you can email us at 111register@one.nz or call us on 0800 438 448.

If you've already made a complaint directly to us about the 111 Contact Code or an application to be registered as a vulnerable customer, and you're not happywith the resolution, you can ask the Telecommunications Dispute Resolution (TDR) service to intervene (see tdr.org.nz ). If the dispute concerns someone else in your household, you can refer to the dispute to the TDR on their behalf.

Referring a dispute to the TDR is the primary method for making a complaint. However, if you think One NZ is not complying with the 111 Contact Code, you can raise a complaint with the Commerce Commission (contact@comcom.govt.nz or 0800 943 600).

What's the difference between the Vulnerable Customer Register and the Medical Dependency Register?

• The Vulnerable Customer Register

  Focuses on landline service consumers who are more likely to need to contact 111 due to medical, safety or disability reasons, and would not have the means to do so during a power failure. 

• The Medical Dependency Register

  Used as a way of ensuring a medically dependent person is not unduly placed at risk when connecting, disconnecting, maintaining, or repairing faults with their telecommunications service.  

If you are registered on the Medical Dependency Register, you will still need to fill out an application form to be considered for the Vulnerable Consumer Register.

Indicative List of Eligible Health, Disability and Safety Criteria

• Consumers at high risk of personal safety 
• The support provided under the vulnerable customer service also applies to customers and their dependants who are or were in a close relationship with someone who has had a protection order served against them in favour of the applicant.  
• Consumers at high risk due to disability, such as sensory impairment, intellectual impairment and physical impairment 

If you're unsure whether your medical condition would qualify you for Medical Dependency Registration, please talk to your health practitioner (for example, a doctor).

If you're unsure whether your safety or disability would qualify you for vulnerable customer registration, please talk to your local police officer, currently registered social worker, lawyer (with a current practising certificate), or a family court judge.

Medical Dependency Registration

If you are the account holder and you (or someone in your household) have a medical condition that means you depend on your landline telephone or broadband access for critical medical support, you can apply to be placed on our Medical Dependency Register.. This will ensure that the medically dependent person is not unduly placed at risk when connecting, disconnecting, maintaining, or repairing faults with their telecommunications service.  

How to apply:

Determine if you or someone living at your home has a diagnosed life-threatening medical condition. As a guide, consider the 'indicative list of eligible medical conditions' below, or if you are unsure, consult your doctor. Download, print, read and complete Medical Dependency Guide and Form (PDF 575KB)  

Before submitting your application, please check that you have:

• Read the information guide;  
• Read the eligibility criteria;  
• Completed the application form; and 
• Provided the information in support of the application

You can submit your completed application form and medical certificate by: 

1. Emailing it to: team.credit@one.nz , or
2. Posting the form and supporting evidence to: 
   
   • Attn:  Collections Team
   • One New Zealand  
   • Limited Private Bag 92161
   • Auckland 1142  
     

NOTE:Your application for Medical Dependency Registration cannot be processed until all sections have been completed and signed and we have received a copy of your medical certificate.

Indicative List of Eligible Medical Conditions

Consumers at high risk of respiratory emergencies

• Anaphylaxis or angioedema.
• Severe asthma (Grade 5 as specified by the MRC Dyspnoea Scale).

Consumers with high-risk mental health disorders
Severe mental health disorder with significant risk of self-harm or harm to others. Technology dependent patients who are at high risk

• Haemodialysis in the home.
• Patients on home respirators or with tracheostomies.
• Oxygen dependent patients (e.g. with severe obstructive pulmonary disease).

Consumers at risk of life-threatening hypoglycaemia or epilepsy

• Unstable insulin-dependent diabetes.
• Poorly controlled grand-mal seizures.

Consumers at high risk of obstetric and neonatal emergencies

• High-risk pregnancy (e.g. placenta praevia).
• Infants at risk (e.g. because of prematurity) with history of apnoea.

Consumers at high risk of cardiovascular emergencies

• Ventricular arrhythmias.
• Unstable angina.
• Acute myocardial infarction within the last 6 months.
• On a waiting list for aortic aneurysm, coronary or carotid artery surgery

Other dependent patients who live alone, without support or in remote locations
Patients with other dependent medical conditions with a lesser risk of rapid deterioration may qualify for Vulnerable Customer status only if they live alone, without social support, or in a remote location, for example:

• Dialysis patients
• Oncology patients
• AIDS patients
• Haemophilia patients, and others with bleeding disorders
• People with severe disability.

If you're unsure whether your medical condition would qualify you for Medical Dependency Registration, please talk to your health practitioner (for example, a doctor).