Open main menu Close main menu

Resources and publications

Ngā rauemi me ngā tānga

Search guidescase notesopinionsreports and other information. Resources and publications can also be searched by date and other options. 

Use the search bar to make your search. Then use the filters to narrow down the results by resource type or topic. 

More information about the resource categories on this page
Search by keyword
  • Chief Ombudsman's Annual Report 2022/2023

    Annual reports
    This year I have intensified my efforts to reach out to diverse communities around New Zealand. I have also continued my work to help lift good practices across government. This balance between the public and government is an important part of my independent role as an Officer of Parliament, and the need for me to reach out to both has become even more evident in current times.
  • Chief Ombudsman's Annual Report 2021/2022

    Annual reports
    Watch the introduction in New Zealand Sign Language
  • Inaugural Pūhara Mana Tangata report for 2020/2021

    Annual reports
    The Chief Ombudsman’s Māori panel – Pūhara Mana Tangata – has published a report of its first two years in operation.
  • Annual Report 2020/2021

    Annual reports
    The global COVID-19 pandemic has continued to dominate our lives in the past year, creating new challenges for us all.
  • Annual Report 2019/20

    Annual reports
    COVID-19. The pandemic which swept the world in 2020 is undoubtedly the defining event of the past year. It has further defined the role of Ombudsman.
  • Annual Report 2018/2019

    Annual reports
    It was a busy year. A very busy year. Using almost all measures, the level of our work increased, yet our results were, overall, very pleasing.
  • Submission of the Ombudsman - OIA consultation July 2019

    Projects, reference & data, Submissions
    In March, the Ministry of Justice announced a public consultation on matters relating to the Official Information Act.
  • Submission of the Chief Ombudsman – Protected Disclosures Act consultation

    Projects, reference & data, Submissions
    The State Services Commission held a public consultation on possible reform of the PDA in 2018. The Chief Ombudsman made a submission, which is now available to read.
  • Annual Report 2017/2018

    Annual reports
    In the past year, we have made some excellent progress in key areas, none more so than by clearing our backlog of complaints, a bugbear both for us and the public. We have been quicker and more efficient in resolving complaints, but with no reduction in the quality or efficacy of our work. Specific cases we have dealt with this year are contained in this report, and they showcase the breadth and depth of the work we are tasked to undertake.
  • Annual Report 2016/2017

    Annual reports
    In 2016/17 we achieved 700 remedies for New Zealanders—‘remedy’ being the legal term for a solution to a problem. This is an increase of 20 percent on the previous year, one of many positive figures in this year’s Annual Report. We also had 149 recommendations for improvement in places of detention accepted.
  • Submission of the Ombudsman - Education (Update) Amendment Bill 2016

    Submissions
    While we agree that on-line learning can make an important contribution to education, we are concerned about the breadth of the proposed Communities of On-Line Learning (COOL) scheme, and in particular the apparently unrestricted ability of any st
  • Annual Report 2015/2016 - full report

    Annual reports
    We have already begun to make great strides in the 2015/16 reporting year. Despite overall intake once again increasing, we completed 7% more work than last year and finished the year with 11% less work on hand than at the same time last year. Our overall net clearance rate for complaints was 105%, meaning that we closed 178 more complaints than we received, and so started to make significant inroads into our backlog of aged complaints.
  • Annual Report 2015/2016 - at a glance

    Annual reports
    This document shows our Annual Report for 2015/2016 at a glance.
  • Submission of the Ombudsman - Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled

    Submissions
    The Office of the Ombudsman strongly supports New Zealand acceding to the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or otherwise Print Disabled.
  • Submission of the Ombudsman - Small Passenger Services Sector Review

    Submissions
    The Office of the Ombudsman is concerned that the review has not given enough attention to issues of safety and disability (issues that are central to fitness and purpose), and focussed too heavily on accommodating and potentially aligning current taxi
  • Annual Report 2014/2015 - at a glance

    Annual reports
    This document shows our Annual Report for 2014/2015 at a glance.
  • Annual Report 2014/2015 - full report

    Annual reports
    By 2006 it was becoming clear that we could not sustain the business model we were then operating and the late John Belgrave, then Chief Ombudsman, challenged us to reflect on the theme “Where is the Office Going?” So we began what has seemed like a long journey to modernise the Office.
  • Annual Report 2013/2014 - at a glance

    Annual reports
    This document shows our Annual Report for 2013/2014 at a glance.
  • Annual Report 2013/2014 - full report

    Annual reports
    This year we have begun to reap the benefits of the additional resources granted to us by Parliament for the 2013/14 year onwards, which has enabled us to appoint additional staff to progress the amount of work we are receiving.
  • Submission of the Ombudsman - Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Bill

    Submissions
    This submission relates to the information management requirements of clause 275B of the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Bill.
  • Submission of the Ombudsman - Environmental Reporting Bill

    Submissions
    It is in the interests of all New Zealanders to have comprehensive and reliable information available regularly on environmental issues that affect all of us. I do however have significant concerns with one aspect of the bill, namely clause 16, under which the Secretary for the Environment (MFE) and the Government Statistician can veto release of information to be used in an environmental report.
  • Annual Report 2012/2013 at a glance

    Annual reports
    This document shows our Annual Report for 2012/2013 at a glance.
  • Annual Report 2012/2013 - full report

    Annual reports
    Our anniversary year has been a period of growth and consolidation. We have taken time to reflect on the significant contribution to our development by all those who have held the office of Ombudsman in the past 50 years. We have also managed an unprecedented increase in demand for our services, drawing on both our traditional practice developed over the previous half century and new ways of prioritising and organising our workflows.       
  • Submission of the Ombudsman - Prisoners' and Victims' (Continuation and Reform) Amendment Bill

    Submissions
    We are concerned that the victims’ claims scheme, which the Bill makes permanent, provides neither a suitable way to compensate victims of crime nor a suitable way to prevent abuse or mistreatment of prisoners in accordance with New Zealand’s international obligations.
  • Submission of the Ombudsmen - Education Amendment Bill

    Submissions
    This submission relates to clause 158X of the Education Amendment Bill currently before the Education and Science Committee.
  • Annual Report 2011/2012 - at a glance

    Annual reports
    This document shows our Annual Report for 2011/2012 at a glance.
  • Annual Report 2011/2012 - full report

    Annual reports
    In many ways, 2011/12 was a watershed year for us. We received and completed the highest ever number of complaints and other contacts concerning state sector agencies. In particular, we managed a significant increase in official information complaints and complaints relating to the Earthquake Commission.
  • Submission of the Ombudsmen - Mixed Ownership Model Bill

    Submissions
    Our submission concerns clauses 6 and 7 of the Mixed Ownership Model (MOM) Bill, which remove the MOM companies from being subject to the OA and OIA.  These Acts are important accountabil
  • Submission of the Ombudsmen - Corrections Amendment Bill

    Submissions
    We had a limited opportunity to comment on the draft Corrections Amendment Bill (the Bill) and some amendments were made as a consequence of our submissions.  However, there remain other matters which concern us.
  • Annual Report 2010/2011

    Annual reports
    The past year has seen consolidation of our efforts to improve work practices within the Office and improve our service to complainants and agencies. The final tranche of work to complete the restructuring and renewal of the Office will take place early in the 2011/2012 financial year.
  • Submission of the Ombudsmen - the Public's Right to Know

    Submissions
    The Ombudsman's submission on the Law Commission's Issues Paper 18 The Public’s Right to Know:  A Review of the Official Information Act 1982 and Parts 1-6 of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987
  • Annual Report 2009/2010

    Annual reports
    At the close of the 2009/10 reporting year we find ourselves in a similar position to the agencies we oversee: endeavouring to deliver more and better services with the same (or in some cases fewer) resources.