Ombudsmen Act 1975

Functions of Ombudsmen

23: Ombudsman may require publication of summary of report

You could also call this:

"Ombudsman can make organisations share a simple version of their investigation results with the public"

If you want to know what an Ombudsman's report says, they can make a summary of it. The Ombudsman sends this summary to the chief executive of the organisation involved. You can then read the summary for free during business hours. You can even make a copy of it if you want to. The Ombudsman shows the organisation the summary before sending it to the chief executive, so they can add their comments. The organisation must tell the public that the summary is available to read, and they must do this within one week of getting the report.

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This page was last updated on 18 July 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM431169.

Topics:

Government and voting > Government departments

22: Procedure after investigation, or

"What happens after the Ombudsman finishes investigating something"

24: Complainant to be informed of result of investigation, or

"You find out what happens after you make a complaint to an Ombudsman."

23Ombudsman may require publication of summary of report

Where an Ombudsman has prepared a report under subsection (3) of section 22 relating to any organisation named or specified in Part 3 of Schedule 1, he may prepare and send to the chief executive of that organisation a written summary of the contents of his report and require that chief executive to make copies of that summary available during ordinary business hours for inspection by members of the public without charge. Any member of the public may make a copy of the whole or any part of the summary.
Before forwarding any such written summary to the appropriate chief executive under subsection (1), the Ombudsman shall send a copy of it in draft form to the organisation to which it relates for perusal, and shall, as far as practicable, incorporate in the summary any comments made to him by the organisation.
Within 1 week after the report is received by the organisation, the chief executive of that organisation shall, at the expense of the organisation, give public notice in such form and in such newspapers as the Ombudsman shall require of the availability of the report for inspection and of the places where it may be inspected.
Every such report shall be made available for a period of 4 weeks from the date of the first publication of the public notice.

Notes

Section 23(1): amended, on 1 July 2003, by section 262 of the Local Government Act 2002 (2002 No 84).
Section 23(2): amended, on 1 July 2003, by section 262 of the Local Government Act 2002 (2002 No 84).
Section 23(3): amended, on 1 July 2003, by section 262 of the Local Government Act 2002 (2002 No 84).