Chief ombudsman's transparency investigation targets QLDC

The Queenstown Lakes District Council is one of three councils set to be more closely looked at by the chief ombudsman in regards to how open and transparent they are.

The self-initiated investigations by chief ombudsman Peter Boshier will also include for the first time two council-controlled organisations - Auckland Transport and Wellington Water.

Mr Boshier says the investigations are part of a regular programme of looking at Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA) practice and compliance at local authorities.

“I have completed proactive investigations into the official information practices of 18 councils since I began this work in 2018.”

Mr Boshier says he’ll be conducting surveys of staff at each organisation and members of the public as part of this work.

“As with all of my investigations, I will be looking for examples of good practice and areas that can be improved, including whether the leadership of each organisation has established a culture of openness, and whether staff responsible for responding to official information requests have been given the right training and guidance.

“I will also look at their meeting practices including any informal meetings and workshops where I feel they are relevant.”

The Wellington City and Marlborough Councils are also being targeted by Mr Boshier.

He says local bodies like these provide essential services for millions of New Zealanders and have "freedom of information obligations".

The ombudsman's primary role is to investigate complaints against government agencies.

Information about the public surveys

Have you requested information from the Queenstown Lakes District Council? Have you attended a public meeting, workshop or informal meeting organised by them? Do you have views on their commitment to openness and transparency?

If so, the chief ombudsman wants to hear from you.

A public stakeholder survey will look at the experience people have had with the council. It is not designed to reopen individual cases.  For any new complaint, the usual process of approaching the ombudsman is the same.

The survey is open until Friday, November 29 and can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HYZV8DR