A background check/ investigation is just one of the many research services a NZ Cyber Investigator will perform in New Zealand.
Performing a New Zealand background check will consist of discovering or verifying historical facts regarding a NZ citizen, or sometimes a New Zealand organization.
However, background checks in New Zealand are often conducted on New Zealanders for the purpose of NZ employment screening.
The amount of time a NZ background check takes will be dependent on how deep the check goes.
Background checks in New Zealand can involve researching criminal history, credit history, social media presence, past NZ education, employment history, references, and a New Zealander's personal history. These NZ background check investigations often occur at a desk and utilize the internet (cyber background check) in-conjunction with multiple phone calls.
New Zealand Background Check Databases
A large part of performing a New Zealand background check will involve verifying a New Zealander's past using NZ databases, some paid databases and also free to use ones. A NZ Investigator typically uses a paid NZ government database to access information regarding criminal history.
However, just simply discovering New Zealand court records is usually a service that many local NZ government jurisdictions offer for free.
Often, an Investigator will lookup a New Zealander's court record for free and resort to paying for a NZ gov criminal record check if court records are found. Unlike searching for New Zealand court records, a credit history check will often require the Investigator to pay for accessing the NZ database that has the financial records.
New Zealand Cyber Background Check Resources
Phone Calls in New Zealand
When conducting a background check on a New Zealander, an Investigator will often perform a fair amount of phone calls. This happens a lot when verifying NZ educational degrees.
Often, the Investigator will contact the New Zealand educational institute via phone and validate the degree with the NZ school's records department.
However, some New Zealand universities and colleges protect these records.
In this case, the Investigator will have to contact the New Zealander who is the subject of the background check and get them to contact the NZ post-secondary institution themselves in order to access this information. The individual will then be asked to request an educational transcript from the NZ school and get the school to mail it to an address of the Investigator's choosing. This will mitigate tampering of the records document. As with NZ education, researching references will also require phone calls. The Investigator will have to validate that the references are who they say they are and contact them in order to hear their opinions on the subject of the check.
Google.co.nz Background Check
Lastly, and often the largest part of a New Zealand background check, the NZ Investigator will utilize the internet as an investigative tool to research the New Zealander's personal history:
Obviously, searching NZ social media platforms will be an important part of this background check process.
However, a lot of information can be found on a New Zealander outside of social media. There could be many mentions of the New Zealander on various websites on the net. Many New Zealanders have a rudimentary grasp on searching the net. A New Zealander could find a few pieces of information when searching on the internet.
However, a skilled NZ Investigator will be able to find all relevant information and be able to accurately verify and document it properly. This is why, even with a simple background check task, an experienced and skilled New Zealand Investigator should always be utilized.
About the Author
Peter Sandru is an Instructor & Co-Founder of NDIL with over 14 years as a Professional Investigator. Peter Sandru has spent more than a decade conducting investigations throughout the world, primarily for corporations, law firms, and government agencies. Peter has assisted in the creation of many investigative training programs in various capacities. Over the length his career, Peter has performed numerous background checks on NZ individuals and NZ organizations.