Review Policy

Effective date: 6 April 2026 | Version: 1.0.0

This Review Policy sets out the rules for posting, moderating, and responding to reviews on the PoweredNZ platform at powerednz.com (the "Platform"). It applies to Homeowners who leave reviews and Installers who respond to them. This policy should be read alongside the Terms of Service — Homeowners and the Terms of Service — Installers.

1. Purpose

Reviews help New Zealand homeowners make informed decisions when choosing an energy-upgrade installer. Our goal is to ensure that reviews on the Platform are genuine, fair, and useful. We take the integrity of the review system seriously.

2. Who Can Leave a Review

2.1 Eligibility

To leave a review, you must:

have genuine, first-hand experience with the Installer you are reviewing (either through the Platform or a direct engagement);
provide a valid email address and verify it via the confirmation link we send; and
be at least 16 years of age.

2.2 One review per experience

You may leave one review per Installer per engagement. If your experience with an Installer spans multiple projects, you may leave a separate review for each distinct project.

2.3 Who may not leave a review

The following people may not leave reviews: the Installer's own employees, owners, or directors; family members of the Installer's owners; competitors leaving reviews to damage a rival's reputation; and anyone who has not had a genuine interaction with the Installer.

3. Review Guidelines

When writing a review, please:

Be honest. Describe your actual experience, including both positive and negative aspects.
Be specific. Mention what work was done, how the Installer communicated, whether the job was completed on time and on budget, and the quality of the result.
Be fair. Rate the Installer on their performance, not on factors outside their control (such as weather delays or council consent timelines).
Be respectful. You can express dissatisfaction without resorting to personal attacks, threats, or abusive language.

3.1 Star ratings

Reviews include a star rating from 1 to 5. Use the full range: a 5-star review should reflect an exceptional experience, and a 1-star review should reflect a genuinely poor one. Honest ratings — including low ratings — are welcome and will not be removed simply because an Installer disagrees with them.

4. Prohibited Content

The following content is not permitted in reviews or Installer responses and will be removed:

False or fabricated reviews — reviews not based on genuine experience with the Installer.
Defamatory statements — false statements of fact that damage a person's or business's reputation.
Personal information — home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, financial details, or other private information about the Installer, their staff, or other homeowners.
Hate speech and discrimination — content that attacks or demeans a person or group based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
Threats and harassment — any content that threatens, intimidates, or bullies another person.
Obscene or offensive language — gratuitous profanity or sexually explicit content.
Spam and advertising — promotional content, links to competing services, or repetitive posts.
Competitor sabotage — reviews left by competing Installers or their associates to damage a rival's reputation.
Incentivised reviews — reviews written in exchange for payment, discounts, free services, or other incentives, unless the incentive is clearly disclosed.
Irrelevant content — content that has nothing to do with the Installer or the service provided.

5. Moderation Process

5.1 Pre-publication review

All reviews enter a moderation queue when submitted. Reviews are held for up to 24 hours before going live. During this period, reviews may be checked by automated systems and, where flagged, by a human moderator.

5.2 What we check

Moderation checks include, but are not limited to: email verification status, potential prohibited content (as listed in Section 4), duplicate submissions, and patterns that may indicate fake or coordinated reviews.

5.3 Outcomes

After moderation, a review may be:

Approved — published on the Installer's listing.
Flagged — held for further manual review by our team.
Rejected — removed for violating this policy. If your review is rejected, you will not be notified of the specific reason, but you are welcome to contact support@powerednz.com for clarification.

5.4 Auto-approval

If a review has not been flagged within 24 hours of submission, it is automatically approved and published.

5.5 Post-publication moderation

Reviews may be removed or flagged at any time after publication if they are found to violate this policy, whether through Installer complaints, user reports, or our own monitoring.

6. Installer Responses

6.1 Who can respond

Installers on the Pro or Featured tier may post a response to any review on their listing. Free tier Installers cannot respond to reviews.

6.2 Response guidelines

Installer responses must be:

Professional and courteous — even when responding to a negative review. A calm, factual response reflects well on your business.
Relevant — address the specific feedback in the review.
Factual — correct any inaccuracies in the review without exaggerating or misrepresenting the situation.

6.3 Prohibited in responses

Installer responses must not:

disclose any Homeowner's personal information (name, address, phone number, email, financial details, or project specifics that could identify the Homeowner);
contain threats, intimidation, or abusive language;
offer incentives for the Homeowner to change or remove their review;
include advertising or promotional content unrelated to the review; or
contain false statements about the Homeowner or the interaction.

6.4 Removal

We reserve the right to remove Installer responses that violate these guidelines.

7. Complaints and Disputes

7.1 Filing a complaint

If you are an Installer and believe a review violates this policy, you may file a complaint through the installer dashboard. Your complaint should include the reason you believe the review violates the policy and any supporting evidence.

7.2 Investigation

We will review the complaint and may contact the reviewer for additional information. We aim to resolve complaints within 14 days, though complex cases may take longer.

7.3 Possible outcomes

After investigating a complaint, we may:

Retain the review — if we determine it does not violate this policy.
Remove the review — if we determine it violates this policy.
Edit the review — in rare cases, we may redact specific content (such as personal information) while retaining the rest of the review.

7.4 Our discretion

Decisions about review retention or removal are made at our sole discretion. We are not required to disclose the details of our investigation to either party. Filing a complaint does not guarantee that a review will be removed.

7.5 Homeowner complaints

If you are a Homeowner and believe an Installer's response violates this policy, contact support@powerednz.com with details.

8. Manipulation and Enforcement

8.1 Prohibited practices

The following practices are strictly prohibited and may result in listing suspension or permanent removal:

soliciting or paying for positive reviews;
offering discounts, free services, or other incentives in exchange for reviews (unless clearly disclosed);
creating fake accounts to post reviews for your own or a competitor's listing;
participating in review exchange arrangements ("I'll review you if you review me");
pressuring or threatening Homeowners to leave, change, or remove a review; and
using automated tools to generate or post reviews.

8.2 Consequences

Violations may result in:

removal of the offending reviews or responses;
suspension of review response privileges;
listing suspension or permanent removal from the Platform; and
in serious cases, referral to the Commerce Commission for misleading or deceptive conduct under the Fair Trading Act 1986 (NZ).

9. Ownership and Licence

9.1 Ownership

You retain ownership of the content you submit in a review. Installers retain ownership of the content they submit in a response.

9.2 Licence to PoweredNZ

By posting a review or response, you grant PoweredNZ a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide licence to display, reproduce, and distribute the content on the Platform and in connection with promoting the Platform. This licence survives deletion of your account.

10. Contact

For review-related concerns, questions about this policy, or to report a suspected violation:

Email: support@powerednz.com