We have also created a short document which provides, at a glance, information about each of our impact and output areas.
2025/2026 at a glance (PDF, 159.23 KB)
The introduction written by the Chief Ombudsman is also available in te reo Māori, New Zealand Sign Language, and in HTML.
Introduction in te reo Māori (PDF, 3.63 MB)
Introduction in New Zealand Sign Language opens page in this tab
Introduction in HTML
I am proud of what this Office has achieved this year. When I began my term in March 2025 we were dealing with increasing volumes of work, decreasing trust and confidence in institutions, and a challenge from Parliament to adopt a sustainable funding model that manages increasing volumes within current resourcing, without compromising quality and timeliness.
This year, we rose to the challenge – we trialled and adopted different approaches, we improved our timeliness and managed greater volumes, and we continued to invest in understanding the communities we serve. We have more to do, but I am confident we are on the right track to deliver better outcomes for the New Zealand public and Parliament.
To deliver more effectively and efficiently we prioritised a pragmatic and proportionate approach, and trialled different ways of working. This included changing how we handled official information delay complaints, and trialling a dedicated official information team, which saw the New Zealand public get more timely access to the information they are entitled to. We also invested in our technology to create a platform to help drive efficiencies, more effectively identify systemic issues, and make it easier for the public to get in touch with us.
We received and completed a record number of complaints, and turned the tide and improved our timeliness, without sacrificing quality. We completed 11,700 complaints, 43 percent more than last year and achieved a clearance rate of 109 percent – meaning we completed more complaints than we received. We resolved 48 percent of complaints before final opinion, compared to 34 percent last year, meaning individuals have more timely access to remedies and wider public administration benefits are realised more readily. At the same time, we delivered more remedies for people and public administration benefit. We also completed five proactive investigations into central government official information practices, providing suggestions for improvement to help agencies get it right the first time.
We 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. We managed a continued increase in the volume of protected disclosures and advice requests received, and completed some significant interventions to address serious wrongdoing.
We also looked at where we could have a greater impact. We are in a unique position to see and understand some of New Zealand’s most challenging systemic issues, including the disproportionate presence of wāhine Māori in prisons and the inappropriate placement of those with forensic mental health needs in prisons. These issues are long standing and difficult to address. We can’t affect change alone, but we can influence it, so this year we presented two insights briefings to select committees to highlight these systemic issues and draw more in-depth scrutiny and accountability to these areas.
We continued our efforts to build relationships with communities. While we receive positive feedback from the communities we visit, and 87 percent are confident accessing our services following our engagement, we know we need to do more to improve awareness amongst Māori, Pasifika, ethnic and disability and Deaf communities, in particular. This is a focus for us moving forward.
This year we reset our performance framework and strategic intentions, which establishes a clear direction for the Office for the next five years, and ensures we can better assess and demonstrate the impact of our work. While this annual report focuses on the past year, I am looking forward to our renewed focus to:
- Drive lasting improvements in people’s experience of government.
- Protect and strengthen the conditions for open and accountable government.
- Provide a more accessible and responsive service.
Thank you to our people for your hard work and dedication this year. Our work matters more than ever, and I am confident we are focused on being an Ombudsman that people know, can reach, and can count on to help put things right.
John Allen
Chief Ombudsman