Chief Ombudsman's Coalition Document Investigation Ongoing

The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier’s inquiry is continuing into Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s decision to refuse Official Information Act requests for a coalition negotiation document.

Mr Boshier says a decision by Newsroom to publish his provisional opinion is regrettable.

"The law requires me to conduct my investigations in private."

"I want to do a thorough job on this investigation. Any suggestion that I have reached a conclusion on this issue is premature," Mr Boshier says.

Mr Boshier says Ombudsmen’s investigations follow a pattern.

"As with all cases, I investigate, form a provisional opinion and then seek the views of the people who have requested the information."

"In this particular case, I received the requesters’ comments last night and I plan to consider their points carefully before I issue a final opinion," he says.

ENDS

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