News

Rongo kōrero

A final opinion published today by the Office of the Ombudsman found Treasury was entitled to refuse an official information request for 2024 Budget information because it was soon to become publicly available.

The Ombudsman says the Hastings District Council’s approach to preparing buyout offers for property owners affected by Cyclone Gabrielle has not been unreasonable.

The Chief Ombudsman says a proposal in the Fisheries Amendment Bill to exempt commercial fishing camera footage from release under the Official Information Act is unnecessary and excessive.

The Ombudsman has found that parts of the Ministry of Education’s scheme to assess sensitive claims are unreasonable for people who were abused or neglected in some state schools.

The New Zealand Sign Language was officially recognised as an official language of New Zealand in 2006 through the New Zealand Sign Language Act. 

This year is the 20th anniversary of New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) being an official language, alongside Te Reo Māori and English.

We’ve released research about how children and young people in care, and their trusted adults – want to connect with us and raise concerns. 

We are inviting feedback from care providers and others in the Oranga Tamariki system on a set of draft resources designed to help to set up and maintain effective complaint handling systems.

The Ombudsman is surprised and disappointed with the PSA’s media statement issued this afternoon, as it misrepresents our current process, and contains a number of inaccuracies.

The Chief Ombudsman has confirmed a new organisational structure, which will be implemented in early April 2026. 

New child-friendly resources have been created to help Tamariki and rangatahi in care along with their whānau and caregivers to understand how the Ombudsman can help when something’s not right.

The seven reports traverse a range of themes including the use of seclusion and restraint.

The facilities are:

The four reports published by the Ombudsman traverse a range of themes including solitary confinement, use of force, the use of CCTV cameras and cultural & spiritual wellbeing.

The facilities are:

The Ombudsman’s office completed more complaints than it received with a record 104 percent clearance rate over the past year.

The Chief Ombudsman John Allen has released his findings into a whistle-blower’s claim that senior managers at the Accident Compensation Corporation manipulated figures in official information responses to avoid negative repercussions.

The three agencies responsible for the oversight of oranga tamariki system are welcoming the Government’s decision to accept all the findings of the Poutasi report.

The Office of the Ombudsman has begun another of its regular investigations reviewing the Official Information Act practices and capabilities of government agencies.

The Chief Ombudsman has found that the Human Rights Commission did not act unreasonably when it refused to delete text from a public statement explaining that it interpreted sex discrimination in the Human Rights Act to include gender identity.

More and more people believe it is important to have access to government information according to the Office of the Ombudsman’s latest annual survey.

The Chief Ombudsman John Allen has published his half-yearly data on Official Information Act (OIA) and Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) complaints.

A decision by a hospital whistle-blower to go to the Ombudsman has led Health New Zealand to strengthen nationwide safety checks on employees and contractors working with children.

The Office of the Ombudsman has developed a self-assessment learning tool designed to help councils improve the way they manage requests under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA).

The Chief Ombudsman has published a final opinion on Wellington Water following a self-initiated investigation announced in September last year into the LGOIMA practices of several councils and council-controlled organisations. 

The Office of the Ombudsman has published a new guide on ex gratia payments.

The Chief Ombudsman has published a number of final opinions resulting from a self-initiated investigation announced in September last year into the LGOIMA practices of several councils and council-controlled organisations. 

The Ombudsman may not be on most young people’s radar, but internships are helping to make a change to that. 

Awareness is at an all-time high of the law that allows people to report serious wrongdoing in the workplace and provides protection to whistleblowers.

The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has today released his opinion on a complaint from a radio journalist against the Pharmaceutical Management Agency (Pharmac).