In September 2021, the Ombudsman New Zealand commissioned a research agency, UMR, to undertake a nationwide online survey of 1,005 New Zealanders aged 18 years and over, to gauge awareness of the Official Information Act (OIA) and Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA).
Key findings
- Respondents’ overall perceived importance of accessing government information remained similar to last year. 83% (up 1%) declared that it was important (‘Very important’ + ‘Quite important’) that they can access government information.
- 45% of the respondents declared awareness of the Official Information Act and the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act. This was down 5% from 2020 and 15% from 2019.
- Similar to previous years, 12% said they have tried to access information held by Ministers, central or local government information in the last three years (down 3% from 2020).
- 47% of the respondents who had tried to access information in the last three years registered as ‘Satisfied’ with their response; a 3% decrease from 2020.
- 67% (down 1%) of respondents who requested information had received it. An additional 8% were still waiting (down 5%).
- Of those who had received the information, 78% received it ‘As quickly as expected’ or ‘Faster than expected’ (up 2%).
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