Resources and publications
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Search guides, case notes, opinions, reports and other information. Resources and publications can also be searched by date and other options.
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More information about the resource categories on this page
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.
Outreach
Contains our media releases, newsletters, pamphlets, speeches and fact sheets. Fact sheets are published in multiple language and accessible formats.
Corporate documents
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.
42 Resources Show all
OIA compliance and practice in New Zealand Customs Service 2022
Official Information Practice InvestigationsThis report was released as part of ‘Ready or not?’, an investigation into OIA practices at 12 core agencies.Requests to Ministry of Health and ESR for Covid-19 cycle threshold values
Case notesInformation requested initially refused for privacy reasons. The agencies subsequently focused on section 9(2)(c) of the OIA (to avoid prejudice to public health or safety measures).WorkSafe’s decision not to formally investigate an incident
Case notesComplaint about WorkSafe’s decision not to investigate and lay charges following an accident causing injury – failure to consider all relevant information – failure to engage meaningfully with the complainant – no evidence that documents had been faMaking official information requests: A guide for requesters
Official informationIf you are seeking information from a Minister, or central or local government agency, you may be able to ask for it under either the OIA or LGOIMA.Requests for reasons for a decision or recommendation: A guide to section 23 of the OIA and section 22 of the LGOIMA
Official informationThis is a guide to requests made under section 23 of the OIA (section 22 of the LGOIMA).Request for DHB financial reporting data
Case notesWhile release 1 month after refusal would have been ‘soon’ there was no reasonable certainty release would occur by then—agency should reasonably have foreseen delay in obtaining Ministerial input due to election—Section 18(d) did not applyRequest for recidivism statistics
Case notesNo certainty that information would be released in the near future—release 13 weeks after refusal was not ‘soon’—s 18(d) did not applyRequest for quarterly justice sector report
Case notesRelease 12-16 weeks after refusal was not ‘soon’—s 18(d) did not applyRequest for CSV copy of the Teachers Register
Case notesSection 18(d) OIA did not apply—information was not publicly available in the form requested—s 9(2)(a) did not apply—not necessary to withhold publicly available information in order to protect privacy—information releasedEnergy Efficiency and Conservation Authority not unreasonable in tender process
Case notesComplaint about tender process when tenderer found its partner had also bid individually but was not informed by EECA—Ombudsman concluded the process followed was not unreasonable and had already been reviewed by independent reviewerAdequacy of ex gratia payment to remedy mistake by Customs
Case notesNZ Customs officer rejected passenger on flight because water damage on passport—Ombudsman found officers failed to process the passport adequately and caused considerable cost to passenger because of this failure—complainant upheld and complainant received full payment to cover financial lossesRequest for research behind a published statement
Case notesRequester must be told where they can access the publicly available informationRequest for holiday period excess speed infringement data
Case notesRelease 23 working days after refusal was ‘soon’—s 18(d)Request for restorative justice data
Case notesNo certainty that information would be released in the near future—release 14-16 weeks after refusal was not ‘soon’—s 18(g) did not applyDepartment of Internal Affairs provides reasonable service and advice to traveller on temporary passport
Case notesWhether the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) reasonably handled revalidation of a passport for New Zealand citizen travelling on temporary passport—Ombudsman concluded DIA had made every effort to inform the complainant of the steps needed to have his passport validatedRequest for information about the Rugby World Cup
Case notesNo certainty that information would be released in the near future—s 18(d) did not applyRequest for operational protocols and governance arrangements for the retention of new born blood spot cards (‘Guthrie’ cards)
Case notesRequest for protocols for Guthrie cards—requester advised protocols would be reported back to government by end of April and released in due course—some documents subsequently released but not the documents requested—it must be the actual information requested that is to be made publicly available, not other information, even if it is related, or the final version of the information—s 18(d) not applicableRequest for property valuation data which was available for purchase
Case notesInformation available for a charge is publicly available—s 17(d) appliedRequest for reasons about unsuccessful reappointment
Case notesExtent of detail required in response to s 23 request depends on circumstances of particular case – a requester may still have questions after they receive statement of reasons but that does not mean statement is inadequate – s 23(2A) only protects evaluative material that has been ‘supplied’ by someone elseDepartment of Internal Affairs not unreasonable to cancel passport
Case notesDepartment of Internal Affairs—decision to recall and cancel complainant’s NZ passport – position determined by terms of legislationRequest for video footage of DHB meeting
Case notesVideo footage of a DHB meeting was not publicly available just because minutes of the meeting were—s 18(d) did not applyReport on complaints arising from aerial spraying
Systemic investigationsIn June 2003 I received complaints from Ms Jane Schaverien, then of Auckland but now of Wellington, to investigate under the Ombudsmen Act 1975 the question whether the information given to Ministers by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry was inadequate regarding the possible dangers associated with the widespread concentrated use of Foray 48B in West Auckland, and in relation to the Ministry of Health, whether the Ministry had failed to pursue its responsibilities under the Health Act, 1956, or had abdicated those responsibilities in favour of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. In September 2003 I received a complaint from a Hamilton resident, Ms Michelle Rhodes, in generally similar terms regarding the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. These complaints arose from the aerial spraying operations carried out on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in West Auckland to eliminate the Painted Apple Moth, and in parts of Hamilton to eliminate the Asian Gypsy Moth. In relation to West Auckland these operations began on a comparatively small-scale in January 2002, they were continued on a much larger scale through to May 2003, and were finally completed in May 2004.Request for electronic copy of proposed electorate boundaries
Case notesInformation was not publicly available in the form requested—s 18(d) did not applyRequest for report on de-merging traffic enforcement function from Police
Case notesRequest for copy of report on de-merging traffic enforcement function from Police—report was subject of draft Cabinet paper currently under consultation with coalition party—s 18(d) incorrectly relied uponRequest for reasons about non-appointment
Case notesInadequate statement of reasons – more detail and specificity necessary to meet the requirements of s 23Department of Conservation unreasonable to cease administrative practice without notice
Case notesDepartment of Conservation to discontinue without notice a practice which people had come to reasonably rely on—Ombudsman concludes it was unreasonable to cease this administrative practice without noticeDepartment of Conservation within rights on Memorandum of Transfer for land easement agreement
Case notesAgreement for Sale and Purchase between private landowner and Crown—creation of equitable easement—registered Memorandum of Transfer creates legal easement but excludes reference to ‘members of the public’ referred to in equitable easement—whether conduct of Department of Conservation was reasonable—Ombudsman could not assist—effect of Court of Appeal decisionRequest for Department’s reasons for declining application
Case notesDepartment maintains it had given its reasons previously, in writing and verbally on many occasions—requirements of s 23 had not been met—compliant statement of reasons providedRequest for reasons for decision made three years earlier
Case notesRequest for reasons for decision made three years earlier—request declined on grounds it was not ‘made within a reasonable time of the making of the decision’—decision to decline request upheldNew Zealand Customs Service questioned over acceptance of deposit pursuant to legislation
Case notesRefusal to pay interest following resolution of dispute over Customs value of goods—whether relevant documentation provided at the time of importation—whether s 140 of the Customs Act 1966 (repealed) conferred authority on Department to take deposit—investigation discontinued following discovery that company did not exist as legal entity at the time complaint was madeRequest for information framed in terms of section 23
Case notesRequest framed in terms of s 23—Crown Law sought details of requester’s personal interest in information at issue—requester objected on grounds of his right to seek information—Crown Law had not acted improperly in seeking further information from the requester—if an organisation fails to recognise that a request falls within the scope of s 23 and by error processes it pursuant to the more general provisions in Part 2 of the Act, a requester may be deprived of information to which he or she is entitled—no formal investigation—requester invited to advise Crown Law whether he had any personal interest in the decision in questionRequest for counselling guidelines published by the Abortion Supervisory Committee
Case notesRequest for counselling guidelines published by the Abortion Supervisory Committee—information withheld on grounds it would soon be publicly available—whether draft documents are ‘official information’—interpretation of ‘soon be publicly available’