News

The Chief Ombudsman has launched an investigation into concerns that councils are undermining local democracy by using ‘workshops’ to discuss issues and make decisions behind closed doors.

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has today launched a dedicated web page on the Ombudsman  NZ website to highlight his new disability advisory panel Te Rōpū Kaiārahi Hauātanga.

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier is making changes to how he manages the Delay Deemed Refusal (DDR) complaints.

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says it is unreasonable that there is no mechanism to reassess funding for community participation programmes for disabled people throughout their life once they have left school.

Police failed to advise a requester of its decision on an Official Information Act (OIA) request as early as it could have because of its practice of advising the Police Minister three working days in advance of decisions on certain requests.

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has formed an opinion that the public interest did not outweigh reasons to withhold information requested under the Official Information Act from the Ministry of Health about the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

The Chief Ombudsman’s Māori panel – Pūhara Mana Tangata – has published a report of its first two years in operation.

The Chief Ombudsman has published a case note on an investigation following a complaint by a requester about a number of refusals by Inland Revenue to provide information.

The Kiingitanga and the Chief Ombudsman have agreed to the appointment of Ngira Simmonds to Pūhara Mana Tangata – the Ombudsman’s Maaori Advisory Panel.

The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says the passing of new whistleblower legislation will help reinforce New Zealand’s international reputation as a free and transparent society.

The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has highlighted for the third time in less than a year the overrepresentation of Māori in mental health seclusion.

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says he is worried about high rates of seclusion at two Bay of Plenty mental health facilities, particularly for Māori patients.

A report summarising the Chief Ombudsman’s observations and recommendations of a sample of secure intellectual disability residences in New Zealand has been published.

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has been elected as Second Vice President of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI).

The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage acted unreasonably by not consulting more widely before forming a preference for a location for the proposed National Erebus Memorial in Auckland.

Complaints about responses to Official Information Act (OIA) requests have risen 23.5 percent in six months, Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says.

Palmerston North City Council was not entitled to withhold a PowerPoint presentation made to a council workshop from a journalist.

The Ombudsman Quarterly Review (OQR) for Summer 2022 is out now.

In this issue:

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier is reminding people making requests for official information, and agencies dealing with those requests, to be mindful of the need to act fairly, reasonably, and with understanding, during the implementation of the current C

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has grave concerns about what he describes as a ‘volatile’ environment at an inpatient unit at Dunedin’s Wakari Hospital which houses people with intellectual disabilities and/or mental health issues.

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says New Zealand should feel proud that it has once again topped a global index of perceptions of anti-corruption levels in the public sector and judiciary.

The Chief Ombudsman has published a new case note on Official Information Act requests to the Ministry of Health and Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited for data on COVID-19 PCR tests.

The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has today published two new case notes. Both relate to the public being excluded from meetings.

Learn what makes regulatory policies robust, fair, and fit-for-purpose.

The Ombudsman’s latest guide provides insights and lessons learnt from his investigations, monitoring, and oversight roles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Health apologised to a complainant following an investigation by Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier into a delay in making and relaying a decision on a request for official information.

A decision by the ministry of Health to refuse separate requests for the contracted prices paid for COVID-19 vaccines and the contracted delivery schedules was correct, the Chief Ombudsman says.

As Chief Ombudsman, I am committed to doing everything I can to prevent staff and visitors to my office from being exposed to the risk of COVID-19.

The Chief Ombudsman has found that a decision by the Government Communications Security Bureau and the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service to extended the statutory time limit to make a decision on an OIA request was unreasonable.

The OQR for Spring 2021 is out.

In this issue:

If you ask an agency for official information, by law they must respond to your request as soon as reasonably practicable - and no later than 20 working days after they receive it.

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says he is seriously concerned about the use of seclusion at forensic units in the Wellington region.

The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier is launching a broad investigation into the Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) booking system after receiving hundreds of complaints.