Te Puni Kōkiri is a government department and therefore must meet obligations set out under the Official Information Act. This section explains how to make a request for information, and how we respond.
Last updated: Thursday, 14 September 2023 | Rāpare, 14 Mahuru, 2023
The Official Information Act 1982 is intended to help New Zealanders to participate effectively in policy decisions and law making. It is also intended to provide the public with greater transparency on government policy decisions.
Proactive release policy
Our proactive release policy aims to create openness and transparency to foster public trust and confidence.
The purpose of this policy is to enable and support Te Puni Kokiri in the proactive release of official information through website publication.
Te Puni Kōkiri is committed to supporting the principles of the Public Service Act 2020 and the Official Information Act 1982 by promoting open government and increasing the availability of information. Proactive release makes information more available and assists in public understanding of Māori Development and the role of Te Puni Kōkiri.
It is vital Te Puni Kōkiri has a culture of transparency and accountability that meets the expectations of Māori and the wider public of Aotearoa regarding timely access to official information as a core principle of a thriving democracy.
The Government committed to improving public sector practices around transparency through the proactive release of information and requests made under the Official Information Act 1982 as part of New Zealand’s Open Government Partnership National Action Plan 2018-2020.
Sources of information
Official information is information that is held by a government department or agency and is not already publicly available. Before submitting a request to Te Puni Kōkiri, you might want to check out the links below. The information you seek might already be available:
Who can make a request?
Anyone that is a New Zealand citizen, permanent resident or who is in New Zealand can ask Te Puni Kōkiri about the information it holds.
How to make a request
A request can be made in any form (written, verbal) but the Act does require you to make your request with “due particularity”. This means you should be as clear as possible about what particular information you want.
To help us to help you, requests should include your name, postal or email address and, if you have a preferred method of receiving a response i.e. letter or email, you should let us know.
Being specific and providing as many details as you can about the information you seek will ensure your request can be processed as soon as possible. If any aspect of your request is unclear we will ask you to clarify it.
Submitting a request
An OIA request can be made by any method (written, verbal). A few ways you can submit an OIA request to us include:
Email: oia@tpk.govt.nz
Post: Ministerial Services, Te Puni Kōkiri, PO Box 3943, Wellington 6140.
How long will it take to get a reply?
We will acknowledge your request, and respond no later than 20 working days from the date we receive it. The time limit may be extended in some cases but if this happens we will tell you and the reasons why an extension has been made.
Responses published on our web site
Please note that Te Puni Kōkiri publishes some of its OIA responses on its website, after the response is sent to the requester. The responses published are those that are considered to have a high level of public interest. We will not publish your name, address or contact details. To view released responses click here.
Withholding information
We may have to refuse or withhold information. There are provisions in the Act that allow for this and if this occurs, we will explain the reason. For more information please refer to sections 6, 9 and 18 of the Official Information Act 1982.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with our response, or need us to explain any aspects of it, please contact us in the first instance. And if you’re still unhappy after talking to us, you have the right to seek a review of our response by writing to the Ombudsman. Note that you can make a complaint to an Ombudsman about how your request has been treated at any time.
Feedback
Our goal is to ensure we provide you with a response that meets your needs as much as possible. We would welcome your feedback. You can do this by emailing us at oia@tpk.govt.nz