How to make an Official Information Act request
The Official Information Act (the Act) allows New Zealanders to make requests for information relating to our work. The Act promotes openness and transparency and enables greater public participation in government.
How to make a request
To assist us, and to ensure you receive the correct information, your request should be clear and as specific as possible. We need to have a good idea of the information you would like us to look for. Try to be as specific as you can about the subject matter, dates and types of documents you are looking for. We may contact you to clarify or refine your request, if necessary.
You can make a request through the following channels:
- Email: [email protected]
- Mail: PO Box 5010, Wellington 6140
- Telephone: 04 830 5100
If your request is by phone, we will ask you for your email address to confirm your request in writing. If we are unsure about what information you are requesting, we may ask you to email us.
The Act requires us to provide you with a response within 20 working days and we will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible. We may need to extend this timeframe if there is a large volume documents that falls within the scope of your request, or if we need to consult. If this occurs, we will confirm the length of the extension with you in writing and the reason for the extension.
The days between 25 December and 15 January (inclusive) are not considered to be ‘working days’ under the Act. For any OIA requests submitted in late November, the acknowledgement will include a due date in January the following year. However, we will still endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible.
Withholding information
The Act says information should be made available unless there is a good reason to withhold it. Sections 6 and 9 of the Act provide grounds for withholding information for reasons such as:
- personal privacy
- legal professional privilege
- commercial sensitivity, or
- information that is under active consideration by Ministers.
Section 18 of the Act provides grounds for refusing a request for reasons such as:
- the information does not exist
- the information will soon be publicly available; or
- the request requires substantial research and collation.
Further information
Before you make a request, we recommend checking whether we are the agency most likely to hold the information you are looking for. The Ministry of Justice maintains a list of agencies and their responsibilities.
The Beehive website has the list of Ministers and their portfolio responsibilities. If you make a request that is better responded to by another agency or Minister, we may organise to have the request transferred.