KEY POINTS:
Parts of the public service have come under fire from the Office of the Ombudsmen for using intentional delaying tactics when responding to Official Information Act (OIA) requests.
In the office's annual report to Parliament, Chief Ombudsmen Beverley Wakem said the practice was unacceptable and subverted the purpose of the legislation.
Ms Wakem said the office had observed "an increasing tendency by a few government departments and ministerial offices to ignore the provisions of the OIA over the timing of responses to requesters".
"While in some cases this was clearly a misunderstanding of their obligations, there is also a regrettable tendency to game the system and delay responses until the complainants' interest in the matter had passed," she said.
The number of complaints received under the OIA increased by 10 per cent over the past year to 897.
Ms Wakem said more OIA requests would inevitably lead to more requests for an Ombudsman's investigation and review in the event of refusal, administrative delay or charge.
The office also noted an increasing complexity in investigations because of information not being documented in an orderly manner or even recorded in writing at all.
The situation presented an urgent need for agencies to pay closer attention to their statutory obligation under the Public Records Act to keep good records.
Ms Wakem was also critical of an apparent lack of training for government staff in terms of dealing efficiently and effectively with requests.
A large turnover of staff and loss of institutional knowledge of agency obligations in responding to Ombudsmen's inquiries had also been noted.
"In the absence of any other agency assuming responsibility for improving this situation, the Office of Ombudsmen has developed a training programme and is providing workshops on request to help agencies meet their responsibilities under the OIA and other information legislation," Ms Wakem said.
The legislation included the Ombudsmen's Act and the Local Government Office Information and Meetings Act.
She said the acts were fundamental to good governance and to encouraging citizen participation in the democratic process.
Compliance should not be as burdensome as some agencies made it for themselves because of their lack of knowledge of the legislation.
- NZPA
