Chief Ombudsman's Annual Report 2024/2025

I began my term in March this year with a clear focus on the future. We are living in a time of uncertainty and change, and this is impacting trust and confidence in Government. While the public expect greater transparency, fairness and inclusion from government, the overall perception of openness, integrity, and trust in Government is declining. Not surprisingly in this environment the demand for our services is increasing and managing this is requiring us to explore new ways of operating and new technologies to drive efficiency. 

As an Officer of Parliament, the Ombudsman contributes to society through a range of activities aimed at:

• helping to improve administrative practice when the government is taking action and making decisions that affect people;
• promoting government accountability, integrity and transparency; and
• safeguarding the rights of people.

Our oversight can help to identify and resolve problems, as well as provide examples of good practice when we identify them.  Ultimately, we can help to ensure public trust in government and that New Zealand is a safe and stable place to live and do business. But we can’t make an impact unless we are well equipped to identify and respond to issues in a timely way. 

We managed increasing demand this year through sustained effort and trialling new approaches and systems. However, while we completed a record number of complaints, 30 percent more than last year, our timeliness has suffered. Our focus is very much on resolving cases more quickly, acting proportionately, and identifying and addressing systemic issues. Our initiatives in this space are delivering positive results. 

We also carried out a number of proactive interventions, including investigations of central and local government agencies’ official information practices, with good engagement from agencies meaning we are helping to lift good practice in this space. 

We continued to engage actively with our stakeholders, both public and government. Our outreach and engagement throughout the country has seen some increase in awareness amongst Māori, Asian people and young people this year, although this remains lower than our overall public awareness which remains steady at 66 percent. Our social media presence is also growing, but there is still much more we can do to make our work visible. We are also building relationships across government, and this year we continued to influence good administrative practice, with improvements made as a result of our submissions on Cabinet papers, Bills and policies, and our advice and guidance to agencies.   

In an environment of growing public awareness of protected disclosures, we managed a significant increase in the volume and complexity of protected disclosures and enquiries, completing 26 percent more matters than last year. We also carried out some significant interventions to address serious wrongdoing. 

We also continued our work to monitor implementation of the Disability Convention and work with government and detention facilities to identify and address long-term challenges that are common across many of the places of detention we examine. 

I thank all our people for their dedication, passion, achievement and engagement this year. 

Finally, this year we farewelled Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier at the end of March. Peter completed his term by publishing The Way I See It, his report on leaving office, and his Reflections on the OIA. This annual report is a testament to Peter’s hard work and the significant legacy he leaves behind. It shows the rich tapestry of interventions and the enduring impacts to improve good government that he has achieved. Thank you, Peter, for your service. 

John Allen
Chief Ombudsman