Chief Ombudsman cautions people on ‘International Right to Know Day’
Supplied Content
Wellington, September 28, 2021
For a consecutive year, awareness of the Official Information Act (OIA) and Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act has declined and this is an alarming situation, Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has said.
Today is ‘International Right to Know Day,’ and it is more important than ever that people know how to access official information and have the confidence and the tools to do that, he said in a press statement.
Accountability critical now
“Accountability at a time when the government needs to exert extraordinary executive power is critical,” he said.
A UMR Poll commissioned by him has found that 45% of respondents said that they were aware of OIA and LGOIMA. This was down 5 percentage points in 2020 and 15 points compared to 2019.
“While 83% of respondents said that being able to access government information was very important or quite important, it is alarming that awareness of the means to do that has declined. Only 67% of the people polled who requested information from a central government or local government agency said they had received the information, down one percentage point compared to the previous year.
What the Ombudsman does
Among the Ombudsman’s roles is resolving, investigating and reviewing complaints about decisions on requests for access to official information under the OIA and LGOIMA. The Ombudsman also monitors general compliance and good practice by public sector agencies in managing and responding to official information requests.
“Our collective right to know promotes greater public participation in the democratic process and has an important role in providing checks and balances on government. The Ombudsman is a crucial cog in the engine of democracy. There have been some occasions when information has not been made freely available and in a timely fashion. I have been clear with a number of government ministers and agencies about my expectations around the provision of official information. At the same time, I acknowledge that requesters need to be reasonable and consider whether their requests fall within the parameters of the OIA and LGOIMA,” he said.
New tool for Journalists
Mr Boshier said that the issue was discussed at the meetings of the Media Freedom Committee, which represents major media players in New Zealand.
It became apparent that some journalists have little experience of these Acts and how to use them well and hence a new tool has been developed, he said.
“This can lead to some frustration and potentially crossed wires with agencies, leading to poor outcomes for both. I hope Requesting Official Information: A Brief Guide for Media, which is available for download from my website, will be useful for agencies, journalists and all requesters of official information.”
The guide is the latest in a series available on the Ombudsman website for requesters and agencies. They provide advice to make the process easier and outlines the obligations of all parties in line with legislation.
