The Accident Compensation Corporation is defending itself against claims it's asking unnecessary personal information of claimants, especially those who are the victims of rape and sexual abuse.
ACC requests all claimants to sign an authority for the collection and disclosure of information.
That gives it the right to discuss a claim with external agencies and service providers like GPs, specialists and employers.
The Privacy Commissioner and Rape Crisis are questioning the need for some of that information, particularly for victims of rape and sexual abuse.
Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff says the office receives a considerable number of enquiries and complaints each year about how ACC collects and discloses information.
Both Rape Crisis and the Privacy Commissioner say they are frustrated their efforts to talk to ACC about the issue have failed.
But ACC says it seeks only information that's relevant to claims and would not disclose personal information to a third party.
