Official Information – public sector review

Chief Ombudsman Judge Peter Boshier

The Act [OIA] says responses should be as soon as practicable. That, in most cases, should be almost immediately. Twenty days soon becomes a target rather than an absolute maximum.

### ODT Online Fri, 3 Feb 2017
Editorial: Reinvigorating the OIA
OPINION The move by the Chief Ombudsman and the State Services Commission this week to join forces to release statistics on how the public sector responds to official information requests is welcomed.
The step might be small — giving just an overview of how many requests each department receives, whether they respond by the 20-day deadline and how many complaints are lodged about them — but it is in the right direction. While it reveals the worst performers, deeper digging and more detail is needed to be assured about just how some departments and government agencies are doing in complying with the letter and spirit of the Official Information Act. Encouragingly, the commission is going further, developing a suite of “best practice” measures by the end of November this year. It will also be good to know how many requests are accepted or rejected and also how many requests are delayed right up to that deadline.
Read more

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Media Release
First release of OIA statistics

January 31, 2017

The Chief Ombudsman has today published comprehensive data about OIA complaints. This first release covers the six months to December 2016 and future releases will happen every six months.
Read more at http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/newsroom/item/first-release-of-oia-statistics

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

This post is offered in the public interest.

[Stuff] Citifleet: court proceeding

Updated (via Hamish McNeilly/Fairfax Media)
Wed, 18 Nov 2015 at 3:20 p.m.

█ Court date pushed back to February.

Civil proceedings against Maria Frances Smith were due to be heard at the High Court in Dunedin tomorrow morning, with the council listed as the plaintiff, but the case has been adjourned until February 4.

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Link received from Fairfax Media.

### Stuff.co.nz Last updated 14:07, November 18 2015
Dunedin City Council to take widow of sole Citifleet suspect to court
By Hamish McNeilly
The Dunedin City Council has launched civil proceedings against the widow of the man believed to be responsible for the $1.5 million Citifleet fraud. The council lodged the proceedings against Maria Frances Smith, the widow of Brent Bachop, with the Dunedin High Court. A hearing, understood to be about Bachop’s estate, was originally set down for Thursday but will now happen in February.
Read more

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr

Citifleet investigation: Final police report 29.10.15

(via OIA) Copy of final report of the NZ Police investigation into Citifleet.
The information released is the same as given to media outlets on Thursday, 5 November.

[poor copy as supplied; heavily censored]

█ CITIFLEET POLICE REPORT Final 29.10.15 (PDF, 2 MB)

█ For more, enter the terms *citifleet*, *bachop*, *bidrose* or *vandervis* in the search box at right.

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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr