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Public Audit Act 2001

Information-gathering powers and disclosure of information

28: Protection for persons supplying information

You could also call this:

"You're safe to share information with the Auditor-General even if it's a secret."

Illustration for Public Audit Act 2001

If you have to keep secrets or not tell others about something because of a law, the Auditor-General can still ask you to share that information. This can happen when the Auditor-General needs you to do things mentioned in sections 25, 26, and 27, even if you think you are not allowed to talk about it. You will not be breaking any rules if you follow the Auditor-General's request.

If the Auditor-General asks you to do something, and you do it, you are not breaking any secrets or laws. This means you are allowed to follow the Auditor-General's instructions without worrying about getting in trouble for telling secrets. The Auditor-General's request overrides your obligation to keep secrets in this case.

You can follow the Auditor-General's instructions without breaking any laws or rules, as long as you are doing what is mentioned in sections 25, 26, and 27, which you can find by following the links to sections 25, 26, and 27.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM88913.

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Part 4Information-gathering powers and disclosure of information

28Protection for persons supplying information

  1. A person who is required by any enactment to maintain secrecy or not to disclose information relating to a matter may be required by the Auditor-General to do any of the things referred to in sections 25, 26, and 27 even though the person would otherwise be in breach of that person’s obligation of secrecy or non-disclosure.

  2. Compliance with a requirement of the Auditor-General under the sections referred to in subsection (1) is not a breach of the relevant obligation of secrecy or non-disclosure or of the enactment by which that obligation is imposed.