Official Information Requests
What is an Official Information Request?
We work under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 and the Privacy Act 2020. Any member of the public has the right to request information. We treat any requests for information a request made under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 or the Privacy Act 2020 even if the Act is not referred to in your request.
How do I make a request for information?
Requests for information can be made directly to the council through email, phone, letter, or online. To ensure that your request is dealt with as quickly as possible we advise you use our online Information Request Form below.
All requests for information need to state specifically the information required on the subject rather than asking for all information on a general topic. This is a requirement under Section 10 of Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.
What does SWDC do once they receive a request?
Once we receive a request for information, we are required to supply the information to you as soon as practicable and no later than 20 working days after the request is made. We can extend this timeframe for a response if there is a lot of information involved or a lot of consultation needs to be done between officers. When making a request for information you will receive a confirmation email notifying you of the expected time frame of the requested information being available.
You can contact the team at any time regarding your request for information, by emailing lgoima@swdc.govt.nz
We will supply any information that is requested that we hold unless there are grounds for withholding this information.
Most requests for information are supplied free of charge. We are entitled to charge for requests for information. Charging is based on the hours spent on a request, which includes the processing of files or any copying that is required. Our charging policy is based on the Ministry of Justice Guidelines.
Ombudsman’s Investigation and Review
If you have any concerns or complaints about our decisions on any request for information you have the right to request for an investigation and review from the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman can be contacted on info@ombudsman.parliament.nz or you can view further details on making a request for information on https://ombudsman.parliament.nz
Proactive Release
In accordance with the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA) and guidance from the Office of the Ombudsman, it is important that information that no longer needs to be excluded from the public should be released when it is possible to do so. This also includes responses to LGOIMA requests where we feel it is in the public interest to also disclose the information.
You can find the information we have proactively released here.
Official Information Request Form
We act under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 and the Privacy Act 1993 when handling requests for information.
