Ombudsman seeks public input on how the Official Information Act is working

As part of her review of Official Information Act (OIA) practices, the Chief Ombudsman, Dame Beverley Wakem, has today launched three online surveys to gather the experiences of requesters and those working in government agencies. The surveys will be open from 23 October to 5 November 2015 (inclusive).

In her announcement of the review last December, Dame Beverley said the Office of the Ombudsman would seek broad input from current and former public servants, political parties, journalists, academic commentators and other users of the OIA.

Dame Beverley says “These surveys are designed to gather the experiences of people who have made requests, and those in government departments who have helped with responding to them. Hearing from both these groups of people will play a vital part in assessing how well the OIA is operating. This legislation is a cornerstone of New Zealand’s democracy, so it is important to ensure it is operating efficiently and effectively. I hope all those who have used the OIA to seek information from government will complete one of the surveys.”

“All the information gathered in the surveys will be held in confidence, and only used in aggregate form in the report that will result from my investigation,” says Dame Beverley.

The surveys can be accessed from the Ombudsman’s website at: http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/newsroom/item/review-of-oia-practices-surveys-of-requesters-and-government-workers

ENDS

© Scoop Media