Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987

Requests for access to information held by local authorities

16: Deletion of information from documents

You could also call this:

"Getting some information, but not all: what happens when a local authority deletes parts of a document"

Illustration for Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987

When you ask for information from a local authority, they might have a document with the information you want, but also some information they cannot share. If that happens, they can give you a copy of the document with the information they cannot share deleted or altered. You will get the parts of the document that they can share. The local authority must tell you why they are not sharing some of the information, as stated in section 8.

If you ask, the local authority will also tell you the reasons why they are not sharing the information, unless sharing those reasons would harm the interests protected by section 6 or section 7. In the case of section 7, they will not share the reasons if there is no public interest in sharing them. This means you will know why some information is not shared, but only if it is safe to tell you.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM123004.

Topics:
Government and voting > Local councilsRights and equality > Privacy
Previous

15: Documents, or

"How local authorities give you information and documents when you ask for them"

Next

17: Refusal of requests, or

"When a local authority can say no to your request for information"

Part 2Requests for access to information held by local authorities

16Deletion of information from documents

  1. Where the information requested is comprised in a document and there is good reason for withholding some of the information contained in that document, the other information in that document may be made available by making a copy of that document available with such deletions or alterations as are necessary.

  2. Where a copy of a document is made available under subsection (1), the local authority shall, subject to section 8, give to the applicant—

  3. the reason for withholding the information; and
    1. if the applicant so requests, the grounds in support of that reason, unless the giving of those grounds would itself prejudice the interests protected by section 6 or section 7 and (in the case of the interests protected by section 7) there is no countervailing public interest.

      Compare