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Public Audit Act 2001

Information-gathering powers and disclosure of information

27: Power to inspect bank accounts

You could also call this:

"The Auditor-General can check your bank account to see if public money is being used correctly."

Illustration for Public Audit Act 2001

The Auditor-General can look at your bank account if they need to. They can ask the bank to show them documents or information about your account. They can also make copies of these documents. The Auditor-General can only do this if a District Court Judge gives them a warrant. This warrant is only given if the Auditor-General thinks money from a public entity has been wrongly or fraudulently put into your account. You should know that the Auditor-General is doing this to check if everything is okay with the money of public entities.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM88912.

Topics:
Government and voting > Government departmentsMoney and consumer rights > Banking and loans
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Part 4Information-gathering powers and disclosure of information

27Power to inspect bank accounts

  1. For the purpose of exercising or performing the Auditor-General’s functions, duties, or powers, the Auditor-General may examine or audit the account of any person in any bank and, for that purpose, may—

  2. require any officer of the bank to produce any document or provide any information relating to that account in the bank’s custody, care, or control; and
    1. take copies of any document so produced.

      1. The powers conferred on the Auditor-General by subsection (1) must not be exercised unless the Auditor-General is authorised to do so by warrant issued by a District Court Judge on the grounds that the Auditor-General has reason to believe that money belonging to a public entity has been fraudulently or wrongfully paid into the person’s account.