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.
12 Resources Show all
Omission by Civil Aviation Authority to consider the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Case notesThe Chief Ombudsman received a complaint from Deaf Action NZ (a disability advocacy organisation) about the response of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to its November 2018 request to include New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) captions in airline-safety briefing videos.Council decisions on new home’s code compliance certificate unreasonable
Case notesThe Council’s decision that it was homeowner’s responsibility to fix the non-compliance was unreasonable. The Council failed to maintain communication and did not propose suitable remedies.Request for official information about scholarship criteria framed as question
Case notesFailure by the Ministry of Education to respond to a request for official information within the statutory timeframe – Ministry did not process the request as an OIA request as Ministry considered that it required the generation of comment – OmbudsmComplaint from rangatahi about experience in care
Case notesThe Chief Ombudsman received a complaint from a young person who came into the care of Oranga Tamariki as an infant.Unreasonable omission by WorkSafe to adequately consider hazard mitigation for serious incident
Case notesComplaint concerning the adequacy of WorkSafe’s investigation into a serious choking incident at an early childhood service leaving a young child severely disabledChildren in Care - published outcomes of complaints
Case notesRead some of the published outcomes of complaints in relation to Children in Care that the Chief Ombudsman has investigated:Failure by Minister to respond to three OIA requests within the statutory timeframe
Case notesThe Chief Ombudsman dealt with three separate complaints in the second half of 2022 concerning delay by the Minister for Māori Development in responding to requests for official information under the Official Information Act.Request for information about vaccination certificates for domestic use
Case notesBackground On 9 October 2021, the New Zealand Council of Civil Liberties (NZCCL) sent a joint letter to the Minister for COVID-19 Response and the Prime Minister expressing concern about the civil liberties implications of the planned introduUnreasonable approach by INZ to the removal of the ability to support a Partnership Category visa for deemed perpetrators of family violence
Case notesIn 2018, the Ombudsman received six complaints from New Zealand citizens and residence class visa-holders about Immigration New Zealand’s (INZ’s) application of the Victims of Family Violence (VFV) visa category.Decision to decline a character waiver and associated visa application
Case notesImmigration New Zealand acted unreasonably in deciding not to grant a character waiver and in subsequently declining a visa application.Omission by school board to follow due process before excluding student for gross misconduct
Case notesA student was suspended by the principal on the basis of ‘gross misconduct’ after bringing alcohol to school and sharing it with another student. The Chief Ombudsman investigated whether the board followed a reasonable process in relation to the suspension hearing, and whether the decision to exclude the student was sound.Exercise of discretion to refuse request for personal information not unreasonable
Case notesA complainant made a request for information about themselves that they believed had been provided to Inland Revenue (IR) by a third party. IR provided a summary of the information it had received but refused to provide a full copy of the information, or details of who provided it.