‘Change may not be needed’

New figures have revealed complaints from individuals requesting official information have risen by more than a third in the past two years.

But Justice Minister Andrew Little says an overhaul of 40-yearold freedom of information legislation ‘‘might not be needed’’ because his Government is more open.

The Justice Ministry is asking the public for feedback on how well the Official Information Act is working – with a view to carrying out a review. Little’s comments come as

launches Redacted, a series of articles looking at how the public service is handling Official Information Act requests.

On taking office in 2017, Labour promised to ‘‘be the most open, most transparent Government that New Zealand has ever had’’. But figures released this week show a 3.7 per cent rise in complaints to Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier in the past six months. There is a 34 per cent rise since officials began collecting the data in 2016.

The Office of the Ombudsman received 1194 complaints in the six months between July and December 2018. The data is skewed by one individual who

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made 471 complaints – and discounting that there were 723 complaints. About half were related to a refusal or partial refusal to release information, and 20 per cent related to delays.

Most (70 per cent) came from members of the public, with 20 per cent from journalists.

New stats show 110 agencies received about 18,000 requests in the last six months of 2018.

State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes says that in 95 per cent of those cases agencies completed requests on time.

But those figures don’t include the police or Defence Force. Those agencies receive the bulk of requests (21,225 in six months) and the SSC decided to remove them from biannual reporting ‘‘to focus attention on the results of public service agencies’’.

Last week Justice officials launched a consultation process.

While in Opposition, Labour criticised the National Government for a lack of transparency.

Little says the Office of the Ombudsman has done ‘‘significant work on the interpretation and application of the OIA’’.

The State Services Commission was providing agencies with advice on OIA practice and reporting on compliance with the OIA, ‘‘as part of a broader programme to improve implementation by agencies of the spirit and intent of the OIA,’’ he said.

And Little says the Government is now proactively releasing information, like Cabinet papers.

Last year advocacy group Reporters Without Borders placed New Zealand at number 13 in the 2017 World Press Freedom Index, falling eight places from its 2016 ranking. It said journalists were struggling with the act, and some were even being asked to pay for information.

But it’s not just for journalists. The OIA allows the public to inspect public records, examine documents and check on Government spending.