Official Information Act requests
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 the Ministry for the Environment.
On this page, you can search for OIAs that we have released. You can also view all our Briefings, weekly updates and cabinet papers.
Your request should be as clear and specific as you can possibly make it. Requests should include your name, your postal address or preferred email address, and specific details of the information you want.
Email OIA@mfe.govt.nz
or
Post your request to:
Ministerial Services
PO Box 10362
Wellington, 6143.
How long will it take?
We will acknowledge your request as soon as practical and respond no later than 20 working days after we receive it. Sometimes for large requests or those requiring consultation, the Act allows for a time limit extension. If so, we will let you know and give you a specific due date.
Withholding information
We may withhold information for specific reasons. If this occurs, we will explain the reasons why. For more information please refer to sections 6, 9 and 18 of the Official Information Act.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with our response, contact us in the first instance. You have the right to seek a review of the response by the Ombudsman.
Before requesting official information (Official Information Act 1982) from the Ministry for the Environment, we encourage you to check out our sources of information below as you may find the information you need is already publicly available:
- websites
- online datasets
- publications
- reports
The Chief Ombudsman has commenced four self-initiated investigations into the Official Information practices of the public sector. The agencies involved are the Ministry for the Environment, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, the Department of Conservation and Land Information New Zealand. We’ve been chosen as one of the first four agencies for review because delivering better environmental outcomes for New Zealanders is a key priority for the Government.
We’ll keep this page updated with information about the review including publishing the final report in September 2018. You can read more about the Chief Ombudsman’s review on the Ombudsman website.