News

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

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

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).

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.

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.

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

Our latest OQR is out. In this issue:

The Independent Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) is made up of the Disabled People’s Organisations’ Coalition, the Human Rights Commission and the Ombudsman.

Some interesting OIA issues are covered in new case notes published by the Chief Ombudsman today.

Parliament has agreed to extend Peter Boshier’s appointment  as Chief Ombudsman for another five years.

In the Chamber, the Leader of the House, Chris Hipkins highlighted Mr Boshier’s efforts to resolve complaints in a timely way.

The Chief Ombudsman joins his international counterparts in their call for documentation, preservation and access to information as governments, businesses and citizens deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier is urging both agencies and people requesting official information to act fairly, reasonably and with understanding during the course of the Coronavirus emergency.

The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has responded to the Government’s decision to raise the COVID-19 Alert Level to 4 by closing his offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

The Chief Ombudsman, Peter Boshier, welcomes the recent visit of the UN’s independent expert on older people.

The Chief Ombudsman is calling on the Waikato District Health Board to address overcrowding, and the high use of seclusion and physical restraints, at its Henry Rongomau Bennett Centre.

The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has released his latest Official Information Act (OIA) and Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) data.

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