News

The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says too many New Zealanders are still unaware of their rights to request information from Ministers, government agencies, and councils despite a growing thirst for information by the public.

A new case note illustrates the impact that the Intake and Early Assistance Team can have. This team is the first point of contact for people seeking the Ombudsman’s help.

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has released the latest Official Information Act (OIA) and Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) data[1].

New Australian research has been released into how public organisations manage complaints.

Our latest OQR is out.

In this issue:

The Chief Ombudsman says overall prisons are taking positive steps to keep coronavirus out but this has come at the expense of some prisoners’ rights.

The Chief Ombudsman is to begin inspections of COVID-19 isolation and quarantine facilities set up for people arriving from overseas.

Five case notes published today concern complaints about children in care, and how these were resolved. 

The Chief Ombudsman says his inspections of mental health facilities during the lockdown shows a good balance is possible between protecting people from COVID 19 and preserving human rights.

One of the purposes of the Official Information Act (OIA) is to make official information increasingly available to the NZ public.