How to make a request for information
People in New Zealand can request government information (official information) and can expect it to be made available unless there is a good reason to withhold it.
The Official Information Act 1982 (or OIA) enables citizens, permanent residents, visitors to New Zealand, and body corporates registered or with a place of business in New Zealand, to make a request for official information held by government agencies, including Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
Making a request
You don’t need to mention the OIA to make a request. Your request should be as clear and specific as you can possibly make it.
You can contact us in the following ways to request information:
- officialinformationrequests@fireandemergency.nz
- Post your request to Level 7, Spark Central, 42 - 52 Willis Street; Wellington Central, Wellington - 6011. PO Box 2133, Wellington
You need to provide:
- Your name
- Contact address (email or postal)
- Details of the information you want
- Details of the timeframes of the information you want.
We may contact you if we need to understand in more detail, what you are looking for.
How long will it take?
We will acknowledge your request and are required by law to give you our decision on your request as soon as possible, and no later than 20 working days after we receive your request.
If we need more time to make our decision on your request, for example if you are requesting a lot of information, we will let you know and give you an idea of how long it will take. You can complain to the Office of the Ombudsman if you’re not happy with our decision to extend the time.
Can I request information about myself?
As an individual you can request information about yourself. Requests for personal information are processed under the Privacy Act 2020. You can find more information about privacy requests form the Privacy Commissioner. We will always make sure to tell you whether have responded to your request under the OIA and/or the Privacy Act.
What if I’m not satisfied?
You may wish to contact us in the first instance to see if we can resolve the issue.
Official Information Act
You can make a complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman if you:
- have concerns regarding the decision we made on your official information request
- were unhappy about the way your request was treated or processed.
These concerns can relate to the withholding of information, extending the timeframe to respond to you, any charges for providing the information you have requested, delays in providing you with a decision or the information, or your request being transferred.
The Office of the Ombudsman can investigate and review our decision and may make a recommendation to us if it is considered appropriate.
Privacy Act
You can make a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner if you have concerns about the way your request for your personal information has been handled or regarding the decision we made.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner can investigate our decision to determine if there has been a breach of the Privacy Act, and if so, facilitate a resolution.
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Responses to OIA Requests
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