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Ombudsmen Act 1975

Ombudsmen

5: Term of office of Ombudsmen

You could also call this:

"How long Ombudsmen stay in their job"

Illustration for Ombudsmen Act 1975

An Ombudsman holds office for 5 years, unless the Act says otherwise. You can think of an Ombudsman as a person who helps make sure the government is treating people fairly. When an Ombudsman's 5-year term is over, they keep working until a new Ombudsman is appointed, and they can even be appointed again.

If an Ombudsman wants to stop working, they can resign by writing a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the Prime Minister. There is a special rule that says most Ombudsmen must resign when they turn 72 years old, but you can find more information about exceptions to this rule in section 8.

You might wonder what happens when an Ombudsman's term ends or they resign. The Act says they will keep working until a new Ombudsman is appointed to take their place.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM431107.

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4: Ombudsmen to hold no other office, or

"Ombudsmen can only work as Ombudsmen, not in other jobs or as politicians."

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6: Removal or suspension from office, or

"When an Ombudsman can be removed or suspended from their job by the Governor-General."

5Term of office of Ombudsmen

  1. Except as otherwise provided in this Act, every Ombudsman shall hold office for a term of 5 years.

  2. Unless his office sooner becomes vacant, every person appointed as an Ombudsman shall hold office until his successor is appointed. Every such person may from time to time be reappointed.

  3. Any Ombudsman may at any time resign his office by writing addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, or to the Prime Minister if there is no Speaker or the Speaker is absent from New Zealand, and (except in the case of an Ombudsman appointed under section 8) shall so resign his office on attaining the age of 72 years.

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  • 1962 No 10 s 4