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Official Information Act 1982

Requests for access to official information

18A: Requests involving substantial collation or research

You could also call this:

"Asking for information that's hard to find or needs a lot of research"

When you ask for official information, the department or organisation might need to do a lot of work to find what you want. They must think about whether they can charge you a fee under section 15 or give themselves more time to answer your request under section 15A. This helps them decide whether to refuse your request under section 18(f).

If you make two or more requests about the same thing at the same time, the department or organisation can treat them as one request. This is allowed if your requests are about the same subject or similar subjects and you sent them in at the same time or close together. They can do this when deciding whether to refuse your request under section 18(f).

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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=DLM65604.

Topics:
Rights and equality > PrivacyGovernment and voting > Government departments
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18: Refusal of requests, or

"When can your request for official information be turned down?"

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18B: Duty to consider consulting person if request likely to be refused under section 18(e) or (f), or

"Agencies must consider discussing your request with you before refusing it under certain rules."

Part 2Requests for access to official information

18ARequests involving substantial collation or research

  1. In deciding whether to refuse a request under section 18(f), the department or interdepartmental venture, Minister of the Crown, or organisation must consider whether doing either or both of the following would enable the request to be granted:

  2. fixing a charge under section 15:
    1. extending the time limit under section 15A.

      1. For the purposes of refusing a request under section 18(f), the department or venture, Minister of the Crown, or organisation may treat as a single request 2 or more requests from the same person—

      2. that are about the same subject matter or about similar subject matters; and
        1. that are received simultaneously or in short succession.

          Notes
          • Section 18A: inserted, on , by section 3 of the Official Information Amendment Act 2003 (2003 No 90).
          • Section 18A(1): amended, on , by section 135 of the Public Service Act 2020 (2020 No 40).
          • Section 18A(2): amended, on , by section 135 of the Public Service Act 2020 (2020 No 40).