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Guides
Commonly used guides include:
- The OIA for Ministers and agencies
- The LGOIMA for local government agencies
- Making official information requests: a guide for requesters
Detailed guidance on the official information legislation and aspects of good administrative practice.
We also have guidance on disability rights and protected disclosures.
Case notes and opinions
Case notes are a short case summary, often demonstrating an aspect of a case.
An Ombudsman's Opinion is published where there is public interest in showing the full details of a case.
Reports
Reports include OPCAT, disability rights, official information practice and systemic investigation.
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Contains our media releases, newsletters, pamphlets, speeches and fact sheets. Fact sheets are published in multiple language and accessible formats.
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This includes our annual reports and strategic intentions.
Projects, reference and data
This includes our official information complaints data, updates on investigations and other projects, and submissions by the Ombudsman.
View all projects, reference and data
Template letters and work sheets
These template letters and work sheets can be used by agencies to help respond to official information requests.
36 Resources Show all
Report on an unannounced follow-up inspection of Arohata Prison
OPCAT reportsIn 2007, the Ombudsmen were designated one of the National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) under the Crimes of Torture Act (COTA), with responsibility for examining and monitoring the general conditions and treatment of detainees in New Zealand prisons.Report on an unannounced follow-up inspection of Manawatu Prison
OPCAT reportsIn 2007, the Ombudsmen were designated one of the National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) under the Crimes of Torture Act (COTA), with responsibility for examining and monitoring the general conditions and treatment of detainees in New Zealand prisons.Report on an unannounced follow-up inspection of Rolleston Prison
OPCAT reportsIn 2007, the Ombudsmen were designated one of the National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) under the Crimes of Torture Act (COTA), with responsibility for examining and monitoring the general conditions and treatment of detainees in New Zealand prisons.Report on an unannounced inspection of Christchurch Men's Prison
OPCAT reportsChristchurch Prison is one of New Zealand’s larger prisons, and the largest in the South Island.Request for agency peer review of Family Violence Death Review Committee draft annual report
Case notesRelease of free and frank comments made in the context of peer reviewing a draft annual report would inhibit the expression of similar comments in future—s 9(2)(g)(i) appliedRequest for names of staff involved in sending email to parents about Pink Shirt Day
Case notesSection 9(2)(a) OIA applied—correspondence with the requester and information supplied by the New Zealand Police suggested the requester would approach the staff outside of the official complaints process, and may have behaved in an abusive and threatenReport on an unannounced inspection of Spring Hill Corrections Facility
OPCAT reportsSpring Hill Corrections Facility (the Prison) opened in 2007. The Prison accommodates male prisoners with security classifications ranging from minimum to high, as well as a growing remand population. Currently, it has an operating capacity of 1038.Request for due diligence report, site visit reports and reference checks
Case notesSection 9(2)(ba)(i) applies in part to the due diligence report and to the correspondence from supplier—public interest in accountability of Department for steps taken to satisfy itself regarding supplier’s performance—sections 9(2)(ba)(i) and 9(2)(g)(i) apply to information obtained from site visits, but not to the executive summary of the reports—public interest in accountability for decision to award contract—sections 9(2)(ba)(i) applies to reference checks—release would deter referees from providing full and complete information in future—public interest requires release of summary information about the reference checksReport on an unannounced inspection of Hawke's Bay Regional Prison
OPCAT reportsHawke’s Bay Regional Prison was opened in 1989. The Prison accommodates male prisoners with security classifications ranging from minimum to high, as well as a growing remand population.Cancellation of transport card and refusal to refund money stored on the card
Case notesA complaint was made against Auckland Transport (AT) about its cancellation of an ‘AT HOP’ card used by commuters on Auckland’s public transport system.Request for names of guests invited to Mayor’s Christmas function
Case notesSection 7(2)(a) LGOIMA applied—low privacy interest in the names of the guests—as guests were representatives of local businesses or other organisations the information was more about their public lives than their private ones—the function was a publicRequest for information about decision to grant diversion
Case notesSection 9(2)(a) OIA applied—withholding necessary to protect highly private details of alleged offender’s personal life—public interest in accountability for the Police decision to grant diversion in contentious circumstances required disclosure of summRequest for approved codes of ethical conduct for animal testing
Case notesSection 9(2)(ba)(i) OIA did not apply—25 of 26 code holders had voluntarily released their codes—no obligation of confidence—release of ‘benign’ information would not be likely to prejudice the future supply of similar information—information releasedRequest for draft job sizing reports
Case notesReports formed an early stage of developing options for consideration and consultation— disclosure would likely inhibit the willingness of officials and consultants to tender a wide range of preliminary options, and to canvass issues in comprehensive written form, to the detriment of prudent and effective decision makingLocal Authority’s efforts to mitigate effects of resource consent errors not unreasonable
Case notesLocal Authority decision about wall constructed on boundary—Council erred by not requiring resource consent and then offered assistance to owners to lodge application—complainant considered Council unfair not to offer assistance to him to oppose the consentLocal Authority’s Code of Compliance Certificate on drainage reasonable in circumstances
Case notesLocal Authority decision on detection of cross connection piping problem not unreasonable—Body Corporation of building forced to pay costs—question whether Code of Compliance Certificate should have been issued—Ombudsman concluded Council not aware of problemRegional Authority decision on resource consent for pergola on non-notified basis not unreasonable
Case notesRegional Authority’s decision to grant resource consent for a pergola on a non-notified basis was reasonable in the circumstance—permitted baseline test under section 95E of the Resource Management Act 1991Local Authority’s Trespass Notice unreasonable in circumstances
Case notesLocal Authority issued Trespass Notice for two years at sports stadium—Ombudsman noted serious misconduct on part of complainant to warrant action but trespass sanction extreme—complaint sustained and Council implemented Ombudsman’s recommendationsLocal Authority did not act unreasonably in remedying damage following tree removal
Case notesLocal Authority—removal of two pohutukawa trees—Council agreed to mitigate loss of these in conjunction with the land owner—Ombudsman considered Council did not act unreasonablyDepartment of Corrections unreasonably declines computer access to inmate
Case notesAccess to computer suite in prison denied—Ombudsman found this unreasonable—Corrections agreed to reconsider the inmate’s request and to review criteria for use—also that computer facilities at prison be reviewed to ensure availability to prisoners who meet criteria for assistance with litigationDepartment of Corrections not unreasonable to decline face to face interview between prisoner and journalist in particular case
Case notesPrisoner requested face to face interview with journalist—request declined—Ombudsman noted journalist had offered to conduct interview by AVL, notwithstanding preference for face to face—Ombudsman concluded that on this basis Department had not acted unreasonably in this instanceRequest for list of names of electors whose eligibility to vote had been challenged
Case notesRequest for list of names of electors whose eligibility to vote had been challenged—information withheld under s 9(2)(a)—privacy interest not outweighed by public interestRequest for information about the outcome of a complaint about a rest home
Case notesRequest for information about the outcome of a complaint about a rest home—request refused under s 9(2)(a)—public interest in complainants receiving adequate information about investigations and findings—release of summary of informationRequest for information concerning United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations
Case notesInternational relations—comments by officials in relation to United Nations Working Group—‘would be likely to prejudice’ test applied—free and frank exchanges of opinions by officials at overseas post recorded in cable form—whether disclosure would inhibit expression of opinions in futureRequest for a copy of paper presented to Cabinet Strategy Committee
Case notesInformation deleted from position paper on pricing issues presented by ECNZ to Cabinet Strategy Committee—ss 9(2)(g)(i) and 9(2)(j) applied to some of the information—interest in withholding information in certain sections of the paper outweighed by strong public interest in disclosure—s 9(1)—electricity pricing has a direct widespread impact on a large number of New ZealandersRequest for information disclosed during confidential Ministerial briefing to sector group
Case notesRequest by Opposition for information disclosed during confidential Ministerial briefing to sector group—s 9(2)(g)(i)—effective conduct of public affairs—public interest balancing—accountability—need for transparency in Minister’s dealings with financial sectorRequest for information relating to the setting up of the Special Committee on Nuclear Propulsion
Case notesRequest for information relating to the setting up of the Special Committee on Nuclear Propulsion—given the sensitivity of the nuclear propulsion issue and the context in which the information had been generated, the withholding of the information was necessary under ss 9(2)(f)(iv) and 9(2)(g)(i)—at the time of the review the balance of public interest favoured withholding the information requested—the overall public interest was better served in allowing the Special Committee to complete its review in an orderly mannerRequest for Court Registrar’s report
Case notesReport on aborted trial released with deletions—‘free and frank expressions of opinion’ by Registrar—no public interest overrideRequest by parents for medical records of 13 year old daughter
Case notesRequest for medical records—information about parents and child refused under s 9(2)(a)—during review girl consulted—information released other than therapy transcriptsRequest for advice relating to remuneration packages of executives involved in sale of SOEs
Case notesRequest for advice on remuneration packages of executives involved in the sale of SOEs— privacy issues—s 9(2)(a)—remuneration package released subject to deletion of dollar figures.Request for recruitment video
Case notesRequest for copy of video commissioned for overseas recruitment—privacy of individual officers appearing in it—s 9(2)(a)—privacy interest not strong—public interest outweighs any privacy interest—s 9(1)—how Treasury sees its role and how it presents that image to potential recruits both in New Zealand and overseas is a matter of strong public interestRequest for identity of medical advisers who had provided expert opinion to Department of Health
Case notesRequest for identity of medical advisers—need to ensure continued provision of medical advice on value of medicines—consultation with advisers—with one exception, no prejudice to the supply of similar information or information from the same source