8 SEPTEMBER UPDATE; OMBUDSMAN PETITION

8 SEPTEMBER UPDATE; OMBUDSMAN PETITION

 

A progress update for those following the transparency work closely.

Earlier this week I lodged a parliamentary petition calling for an inquiry into delays at the Office of the Ombudsman, including capacity constraints and resourcing adequacy in fulfilling its Official Information Act responsibilities. The Clerk has already reviewed and accepted the wording, and the petition is now in the moderation queue. Once it is approved and published on the Parliament website, I will share the link here so you can read it, sign it, and circulate it.

Alongside the petition, there has been movement on several OIA fronts that help build the documentary record behind this inquiry.

NZ Health OIA Response 
The recent response from NZ Health finally addressed the nutrition‑related OIA that had been stalled for months. While the substance of the response was limited, the timing and the internal correspondence released confirm the same pattern we’ve seen elsewhere: long periods of inactivity, unexplained pauses, and eventual release only after repeated follow‑ups. This response is useful not because it resolves the underlying question, but because it demonstrates how systemic delays are affecting even straightforward requests. It adds another datapoint to the broader picture of procedural drift within agencies and the Ombudsman’s oversight framework. Thank you for your continued support — more updates soon.