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See the latest news and announcements.

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  • Mental health units breach UN convention

    Media release
    Issue date:

    The Chief Ombudsman is calling for action to address serious and persistent issues at some of the country’s mental health units.

  • Ombudsman report offers valuable lessons to secure aged care facilities during lockdown

    Media release
    Issue date:

    The Chief Ombudsman says his independent inspections of privately run aged care facilities offer some valuable lessons as the sector enters another ‘lockdown’.  

  • New guide—The OIA and the Inquiries Act 2013

    News article
    Issue date:

    The Inquiries Act 2013 provided a new framework for the conduct of public and government inquiries into matters of public importance.

    But there has been some uncertainty about how it interacts with the Official Information Act (OIA).

  • Newborn removal without notice ‘more by routine than exception’—Chief Ombudsman

    Media release
    Issue date:

    Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children has been using its powers to remove newborn pēpi from their parents under a without notice Court order more by routine than exception, says Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier.

  • Case note on treatment of disabled mother and removal of newborn child

    News article
    Issue date:

    A case note released today looks into a complaint about Child, Youth and Family, which became Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children, removing a five-day-old child from their autistic mother.

  • Invitation: disabled people's experiences during COVID-19

    News article
    Issue date:

    The Independent Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) is writing a report about disabled people’s experiences during the COVID-19 emergency.  

  • OIA calculator back online

    News article
    Issue date:

    The OIA calculator is back online.

    Thank you for your patience while we addressed the issues in the previous version.

    OIA calculator

  • New complaints handling research announced

    News article
    Issue date:

    We’re helping with research by the University of Newcastle Australia into the benefits of good complaints handling in public sector organisations.

  • Hawke’s Bay prisoners’ conditions and treatment improving

    Media release
    Issue date:
    The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison has made significant progress towards improving prisoners’ safety but has been slow to improve conditions for remand and at risk prisoners.
  • Free and frank advice and the Official Information Act

    News article
    Issue date:
    How do we strike the right balance between enabling confidential consideration of free and frank advice, and enabling the public to access official information to support open government? Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier discusses in a new Victoria University Policy Quarterly article.
  • PrivacyLive lunchtime forum

    Media release
    Issue date:
    A lively panel discussion on Right to Know Day, Thursday 28 September, will highlight New Zealanders' rights to access government information and personal information about themselves.
  • New Zealand and Australia unite for Right to Know

    Media release
    Issue date:
    Right to Know Day on 28 September highlights your right to access personal and official information.