New Ombudsman opinion

New Ombudsman opinion

The Ombudsman has released his opinion on a complaint about the NZ Fire Service’s decision to refuse a request for the NZ Localities dataset, unless the requester signed a licence agreement governing use of the dataset.

Professor Paterson found that withholding an unlicensed copy of the dataset was necessary to avoid prejudice to the measures the Fire Service has in place to protect public health and safety, and to protect or mitigate against material loss to members of the public: “A conservative approach is prudent when considering the necessity of avoiding prejudice to measures that are designed to protect against potentially devastating consequences.”

The public interest is met because the dataset is available free, provided the licence agreement is signed, and the licence requirements are not onerous.

You can read the full opinion here.

ends

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