David Farrar: Chief Ombudsman assesses agencies on OIA compliance

The Chief Ombudsman has done proactive investigations of seven agencies in regard to how they deal with OIA requests. This isn’t just about data, but also culture. The key findings for each are:

• Treasury was a demonstrably high performer in OIA timeliness performance

• Transpower New Zealand Limited (Transpower) has a culture and practice of responding quickly to official information requests.

• While I did not find evidence of Pharmac misusing the OIA, I did identify a number of concerning issues, which are detailed in this report.

• I see no evidence of Kāinga Ora misusing the OIA … some opportunities for Kāinga Ora to improve its OIA practices.

• My review of Health NZ’s OIA practices, along with these findings, leave me with concerns about Health NZ’s OIA practices and whether they facilitate consistent adherence with OIA timeliness obligations.

• DPMC is a relatively high performer when it comes to timeliness statistics

• DIA … there were examples of extensions sought for reasons other than those stipulated in the OIA

So Treasury, Transpower, DPMC all come out pretty good. Pharmac, Kainga Ora and DIA are okay while Health NZ is pretty concerning.

David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.