Ombudsman - Fairness for All

Radio New Zealand complained about the decision of the Department of Internal Affairs to refuse a request for information on the number of days Peter Thiel had spent in New Zealand for two specified periods before being granted citizenship. Ombudsman Leo Donnelly found that the individual's privacy interest in the information was outweighed by the strong public interest in knowing that the Minister's discretion under section 9(1)(c) of the Citizenship Act 1977 was exercised in a fair and reasonable way.