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What if a government agency will not recognise my rights under the Official Information Act? 

What if a government agency will not recognise my rights under the Official Information Act? 

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Last updated: January 30, 2025

Under the Official Information Act you have a right to Official Information 

Under the Official Information Act (OIA) you have the right to request access to information held by government agencies – also known as 'official information'.  

In general, the government agency must consider your request and release the requested information to you, unless it has a lawful reason not to.

Learn more about your rights under the Official Information Act.  

If you are unhappy with a government agency’s response to your OIA request, you can make a complaint to the Ombudsman

For example, you can make a complaint to the Ombudsman because the government agency:  

  • has refused to provide information to you
  • has removed the wrong information from documents given to you (also known as redacting information)
  • is taking longer than 20 working days to respond to your request
  • has charged you a fee for the information they gave you (a government agency can charge you for processing your OIA request, but it must be reasonable, and they also must tell you about the charge)
  • has provided the information to you in a format that does not work for you - for example, if you needed the information as a printed copy, but they will only send it as an electronic document
  • has placed conditions or restrictions on how you get the information or use it. 


Find out how to make a complaint to the Ombudsman, and how they can help.

If the Privacy Commissioner is better placed to deal with your complaint (for example, it is about your request for information about yourself), the Ombudsman will work with them to transfer your complaint.