Make an Official Information Act (OIA) Request

Official information is any information held by a public service agency, a Minister of the Crown and an organisation. It includes, but is not limited to, written documents (including briefings and reports) correspondence (including emails) video and audio recordings and data.

Before making a request

We encourage you to check out the sources of information below as you may find what you need is already publicly available on our website:

• Core publications, including Annual Report, Statement of Intent, and Statement of Performance Expectations
• OIA and proactive releases, including Responses to OIA requests, housing statistics, Chief Executive Expense reports, and proactive releases
• See all our Publications

How to make a request

Requests should include your name, your postal address or preferred email address, and specific details of the information you want.

To make an OIA request, complete the form below or email us at oiarequests@kaingaora.govt.nz

If your request is urgent, please let us know and we will assess your request for urgency. You will need to give reasons for seeking the information urgently. If you do request urgency, we will make our assessment using the following criteria:

• reasons for the request of urgency
• whether it would be reasonable to give a request priority over other requests and existing work
• the volume of information to be considered
• the nature of the information requested and how it is held
• whether consultations are needed before a decision can be made, and
• whether giving priority to an urgent request would unreasonably interfere with the operations of Kāinga Ora.

How will we deal with your request?

We will acknowledge your request, usually within 24 hours and respond no later than 20 working days after we receive it. Sometimes for large requests or those requiring consultation we will seek an extension of the timeframe, as allowed under the OIA. If so, we will let you know and give you a specific due date.

We may seek further information from you if we feel your request is not clear, or we may seek to refine your request if the scope is very broad.

As part of broader Kāinga Ora policy, all responses are considered for publication on our website.

Can information be withheld or refused?

Requests can be refused or information withheld, but only if a good reason exists under the OIA for not providing the information. Kāinga Ora will inform you of the reason for the refusal and the grounds if information is withheld.

More information about how the OIA operates can be found on the Office of the Ombudsman website

What if you are not happy with our response?

If you have not received a response by the due date or are not satisfied with your response you can complain to an Ombudsman by post: PO Box 10152 Wellington 6143. Or by email to: info@ombudsman.parliament.nz

OIA request form