NZSL Ombudsman Act (OA) quick guide

What's the OA?

The OA is a law that sets out what the Ombudsman can do. It describes the Ombudsman’s:

• complaint handling and investigation functions  
• general powers and duties.

Many of the general powers and duties apply across all areas of the Ombudsman’s work, for example, secrecy obligations and requirement to give an opportunity for comment on adverse findings. 

What’s the purpose to of the OA?

The purpose of the OA is to allow the Ombudsman to investigate the decisions and actions of government agencies where a complaint has been made or if the Ombudsman decides to start an investigation themselves.

The purpose of an investigation is to uphold human rights, good administration and the rule of law. The rule of law means that the decisions and actions by government agencies follow the law.

This means that the Ombudsman can look into a complaint about a decision made by a government agency to check if it is:

• unfair
• unreasonable
• unlawful

NZSL quick guide

Watch our quick guide about the OA in NZSL.