A review of the disclosure of names of providers who have breached the Health and Disability Services Consumer Rights Code, with discussion of the report and consultation review case 06HDC15791. For this assessment, all names have been removed or changed to protect those involved, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1993 (Office of the Parliamentary Counsel [OPC ], 2009). Privacy is a vital ethical issue and legal requirement, which concerns not only the keeping of “secrets” but also the basis of respect (Polit & Beck, 2005). Diesfeld & Godbold (2009) suggest that the New Zealand disciplinary process is a form of preventive law for patients and healthcare providers. It is therefore essential that healthcare providers understand their legal obligations to their profession and their patients. The Medical Council of New Zealand (2006) believes that the needs of patients should be a priority and that patients have a right to competent healthcare professionals. Additionally, the Medical Council of New Zealand encourages the maintenance of the patient-provider relationship through honesty, reliability and integrity. Therefore, accountability is essential for health care practitioners who fail to meet accepted standards of care and must be held accountable (Johnson, 2004). According to Johnson (2004), health practitioners can be held accountable for their conduct through civil law procedures, disciplinary procedures under their relevant professional legislation, for example the Health Practitioners Act 1995, the prosecution for breach of criminal law, proceedings under the Privacy Act 1993, proceedings of the Human Rights Review Tribunal under the Human Rights Act 1993 , the Health and Disability Commission...... middle of article......, R. (2002) “The patient complaints system in New Zealand”. Health Affairs. Vol 21, n° 3, p.70-79. Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. (2009). New Zealand Legislative Laws. Privacy Act 1993. Retrieved March 18, 2010 from: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1993/0028/latest/DLM296639.htmlOffice of the Parliamentary Counsel. (2010). New Zealand Legislative Laws. Official Information Act 1982. Retrieved March 25, 2010 from: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1982/0156/latest/DLM64785.htmlPolit, DF and Beck, CT (2005) . Essential elements of nursing research: methods, evaluation, and use (6th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams and Wilson. Seedhouse, D. (1998). Ethics is at the heart of health care. (2nd ed.). London: Wiley.St. George, I. (2007) Cole's Medical Practice in New Zealand. Wellington: Medical Council of New Zealand.