The OIA and you: Election 2026
On November 7 2026, New Zealanders will go to the polls to vote in the General Election. In the pre-election phase, people requesting official information should get it as quickly as possible, and that information needs to be reliable and accurate.
On this page:
- What we're seeing
- Resources, guidance and info for Ministers, agencies and the public
- We promote good OIA practice for all
The Ombudsman supports access to reliable official information so that New Zealanders can participate in an open government, through overseeing the Official Information Act. We help guide government on good OIA administration and take complaints from the public if they are unhappy after making an OIA request.
We want to help agencies and the public feel confident in using the OIA and engaging with the Ombudsman during the busy pre-election period. By providing clear information and practical guidance, we aim to support transparency and help maintain public confidence in New Zealand’s democratic elections.
During this pre-election phase we are providing:
- weekly OIA complaints data snapshots relating to Ministers
- resources, guidance and information for Ministers and agencies, and for the public wanting to make requests – providing different topics over the election phase
What we're seeing
We are tracking Minister OIA related complaints during the 2026 pre-election – so the public can see what the complaints are about and how we are dealing with them.
Every week we will publish this data snapshot so New Zealanders can have confidence in how well we are overseeing Minister complaints about the access to official information.
OIA complaints data snapshot about Ministers
0
complaints received in total
0
complaints closed
0
extensions
0
delays
0
refusals
Last updated: 7 August 2026
More information about this snapshot
We are tracking these complaints against the following areas:
- Received – all OIA complaints against Ministers
- Extensions - all OIA complaints against Ministers relating to extensions
- Delays - all OIA complaints against Ministers relating to delays: DDRs, undue delay in release, failure to respond as soon as reasonably practicable
- Refusals - all OIA complaints against Ministers relating to full or partial refusals
- Closed - all OIA complaints against Ministers (no matter when received)
- Other - all OIA complaints against Ministers relating to other categories- for example ‘incomplete or inadequate response’, ‘form/manner of release’, or ‘transfers’.
All areas are backdated from 7 August 2026.
We are providing this information at an aggregate level, we are unable to provide information about the details of these complaints due to our requirement to undertake our investigations in secrecy.
Resources, guidance and info for Ministers, agencies and the public
To ensure Ministers and agencies pay close attention to their obligations under the OIA, and to help the public with making reasonable requests, we have published FAQs and will be providing further guides, and resources.
Information for public – people making requests
We will update this section over time with more resources and guides.
Information for Ministers and agencies
We will update this section over time with more resources and guides
We promote good OIA practice for all
Anyone – Ministers, agencies and the public can contact us to ask for advice.
Contact our team and ask for advice: 0800 802 602
Ministers and agencies can email: [email protected]
Or if you are unhappy or want an independent, impartial check on how your OIA request is being or has been treated - you can trust us as the place to come to make a complaint.