The Official Information Act lets New Zealanders ask for official information from the government. This includes government agencies, ministers, local authorities and other public organisations.
You must send your request to the organisation that has the information. You can find a list of Ministers and what they are responsible for on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.
Most Official Information Act requests are free. If your request takes a lot of time or work, the agency may ask you to pay some costs. They will tell you about any cost before they continue.
By law, agencies must reply to your request within 20 working days (about four weeks). This time can be longer if:
- there is a large amount of information, or
- the agency needs to talk to other people or organisations.
You can find more information on making an Official Information Act request on the Making official information requests, Ombudsman New Zealand website.
How to make an Official Information Act request for information
To ensure you receive the correct information, please make your request clear and simple. Try to include:
- what information you want
- dates (if you know them)
- the type of documents you are looking for
This helps us find the right information. We will contact you if we need more details.
It is best to send your request in writing. You can contact us by:
- Email:info@ethniccommunities.govt.nz
- Post: Ministry for Ethnic Communities, PO Box 805, Wellington 6140