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Ombudsmen Act 1975

Functions of Ombudsmen

15: House of Representatives may make rules for guidance of Ombudsmen

You could also call this:

"Parliament can make rules to help the Ombudsmen do their job."

Illustration for Ombudsmen Act 1975

The House of Representatives can make rules to help the Ombudsmen do their jobs. You can find these rules under the Ombudsmen Act 1975, the Official Information Act 1982, the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, the Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022, or the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Act 2022. The House of Representatives can change or cancel these rules at any time.

The rules can let an Ombudsman publish reports about their work under the Ombudsmen Act 1975, the Official Information Act 1982, the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, the Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022, or the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Act 2022. These reports can be about specific cases or general work. The Ombudsman can publish these reports even if they have already reported to the House of Representatives.

The Clerk of the House of Representatives must send the rules to the Parliamentary Counsel Office so they can be published under the Legislation Act 2019. The rules are secondary legislation, which means they are made under an Act of Parliament, and you can learn more about this in Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019. The rules come into force according to their own terms, even if they are not yet published.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM431127.

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15House of Representatives may make rules for guidance of Ombudsmen

  1. The House of Representatives may from time to time, if it thinks fit, make general rules for the guidance of the Ombudsmen in the exercise of their functions under this Act or under the Official Information Act 1982 or under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 or under the Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022 or under the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Act 2022, and may at any time in like manner revoke or vary any such rules.

  2. Any such rules may authorise an Ombudsman from time to time, in the public interest or in the interests of any person or public service agency or organisation, to publish reports relating generally to the exercise of his functions under this Act or under the Official Information Act 1982 or under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 or under the Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022 or under the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Act 2022 or to any particular case or cases investigated by him, whether or not the matters to be dealt with in any such report have been the subject of a report to the House of Representatives under this Act.

  3. Rules under this section—

  4. are secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements); but
    1. come into force in accordance with the rules, even if they are not yet published.

      1. The Clerk of the House of Representatives must lodge the rules with the Parliamentary Counsel Office for the purpose of publication under the Legislation Act 2019 (unless the rules are drafted by the Parliamentary Counsel Office).

      Compare
      • 1962 No 10 s 12
      Notes
      • Section 15(1): amended, on , by section 62(1) of the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Act 2022 (2022 No 43).
      • Section 15(1): amended, on , by section 40 of the Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022 (2022 No 20).
      • Section 15(1): amended, on , by section 3 of the Ombudsmen Amendment Act 2003 (2003 No 91).
      • Section 15(1): amended, on , by section 2(1) of the Ombudsmen Amendment Act (No 2) 1982 (1982 No 164).
      • Section 15(2): amended, on , by section 62(2) of the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Act 2022 (2022 No 43).
      • Section 15(2): amended, on , by section 40 of the Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022 (2022 No 20).
      • Section 15(2): amended, on , by section 135 of the Public Service Act 2020 (2020 No 40).
      • Section 15(2): amended, on , by section 3 of the Ombudsmen Amendment Act 2003 (2003 No 91).
      • Section 15(2): amended, on , by section 27 of the Constitution Act 1986 (1986 No 114).
      • Section 15(2): amended, on , by section 2(2) of the Ombudsmen Amendment Act (No 2) 1982 (1982 No 164).
      • Section 15(3): replaced, on , by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).
      • Section 15(4): inserted, on , by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).