Mentions of Office of the Ombudsmen in New Zealand Parliament debates

Hon SIMON POWER ... to His Excellency the alterations to the appropriations for the 2010/11 financial year in respect of Vote Audit, Vote Ombudsmen, and Vote Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, and the appropriations and information for the 2011/12 ...

Hon STEVE CHADWICK ... House has quite rightly pointed out the three votes that were considered. Today I want to focus on the Office of the Ombudsmen, because I found the scrutiny of that office particularly interesting. It put the Chief Ombudsman, Beverley Wakem, ...

RAHUI KATENE ... it is somewhat unusual to speak to a motion in which the appropriations for each of the three votes—Vote Audit, Vote Ombudsmen, and Vote Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment—are to be increased, in accordance with the determination of ...

CHRIS HIPKINS ... to speak on it given the constitutional significance of the role of the people we are talking about, particularly the Ombudsmen and the Auditor-General, in determining that public money is spent wisely and prudently, and that the activities of ...

GRANT ROBERTSON ... colleague Chris Hipkins just said, essentially the work we are talking about here, particularly of the Office of the Ombudsmen and the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General, is the transparency of Government and the accountability of ...

KEITH LOCKE ... of Acts, including the Human Rights Act, the Crimes Act, the Habeas Corpus Act, the Official Information Act, the Ombudsmen Act, and I could go on and on. There is absolutely no reason for those Acts to be overridden. The overriding of Acts ...

GRANT ROBERTSON ... to get information out of the Minister of State Services about the proposals. I had two complaints go to the Ombudsmen, which were ruled in my favour in respect of getting information, but that took months and months. The irony is not ...

Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON ... were calibrated against appropriate oversight arrangements, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, the Office of the Ombudsmen, the Commissioner of Security Warrants, and the inspector-general were consulted on the development of the bill. To ...

KEITH LOCKE ... important. When we use the parallel of the Ombudsman and the Auditor-General we can see that if the Office of the Ombudsmen was made subordinate to the chief executive of the Ministry of Justice, it would undermine the independence of the ...

Hon CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON I move, That pursuant to section 31A of the Ombudsmen Act 1975, the House appoint the Controller and Auditor-General as the auditor to audit the Ombudsmen, with effect ...

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE ... yesterday, I seek leave for the two notices of motion relating to the appointment of auditors for the Office of the Ombudsmen and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment to be taken together for the purpose of debate, with the ...

Hon JOHN CARTER ... ultimately decided that it was not a good fit for the function of the commission. Officers of Parliament such as the Ombudsmen and the Auditor-General provide a check on the arbitrary use of power by the executive, whereas the core role of the ...

Hon DAVID PARKER ... the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and the Auditor-General, to name but two. There are also the Ombudsmen. The submissions that we had in favour of the Officer of Parliament model were very well considered. They were very ...

JACINDA ARDERN ... in accordance with the law. I think that when we contrast that with the role of the other Officers of Parliament, the Ombudsmen, the Controller and Auditor-General, and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, we see they have a much ...

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE ... to His Excellency the appropriations and information for the 2010/11 financial year in respect of Vote Audit, Vote Ombudsmen and Vote Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. Officers of Parliament are independent from the executive. ...

Hon STEVE CHADWICK ... the scrutiny of some very important votes: Vote Audit, Vote Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, and Vote Ombudsmen. I do not think many people know about the Officers of Parliament Committee in terms of parliamentary function, but I ...

Dr KENNEDY GRAHAM ... of course, prepared to support. Generally, we believe that these three agencies, the Audit Office, the Office of the Ombudsmen, and the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, all do excellent work. They have a special ...

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE I move, That, pursuant to sections 3 and 5(2) of the Ombudsmen Act 1975, this House recommend His Excellency the Governor-General reappoint Ms Beverley Anne Wakem, CBE, of ...

Hon DARREN HUGHES ... outlined the important traditions of this job and we greatly respect and value the independence of the Office of the Ombudsmen. It is a remarkably important job in our country and in our system of constitutional arrangements, which are, of ...

RAHUI KATENE ... curiosity, tempered with the requisite scepticism, she confronted the situation by announcing that the Office of the Ombudsmen was concerned that some parts of the Public Service had been deliberately delaying responses to Official Information ...

CARMEL SEPULONI ... with international conventions could be challenged. In this regard, the Chief Ombudsman has indicated that the Ombudsmen may issue adverse reports under Part 2 of the Crimes of Torture Act 1989 if their concerns are not addressed.” ...

Hon JUDITH COLLINS ... Act 1982 in exactly the same way as the department currently is. Contract prisons will also be subject to the Ombudsmen Act in exactly the same way as prisons managed by the department. That means that prisoners will continue to have the ...

Dr RUSSEL NORMAN ... Officers of Parliament is a critical part of our democracy. The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, the Ombudsmen, and the Controller and Auditor-General play a key role in keeping Government agencies accountable. All of us, on ...

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE ... to His Excellency the appropriations and information for the 2009-10 financial year in respect of Vote Audit, Vote Ombudsmen, and Vote Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. The Public Finance Act provides for funding for the ...

H V ROSS ROBERTSON ... the office to focus on keeping additional expenses to the absolute minimum. Further, we have the Office of the Ombudsmen. The original appropriation was for three Ombudsmen, but we have been informed that there is no need, at this stage, ...

KEITH LOCKE ... Party would like a little bit more money for the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and the Office of the Ombudsmen. The previous speaker referred to the fact that there was not the need for the third Ombudsman, although if members ...

KEITH LOCKE ... was improvement in clause 32, where the protection of classified information did not limit the application of the Ombudsmen Act, the Official Information Act, and the Privacy Act. That was a good step forward, so the committee did quite a ...

Hon KATE WILKINSON ... amending the bill to clarify that its classified information provisions do not rule out the application of the Ombudsmen Act, Official Information Act, or Privacy Act. A number of other changes by the select committee, which should be ...

TE URUROA FLAVELL ... facilitation process, so that was basically the end of the story. On top of that, they have been to the Office of the Ombudsmen. In terms of this particular bill, the question is to raise issues about Ngāti Whāoa’s interest in all of this. The ...

LINDSAY TISCH ... on the Officers of Parliament Committee when it has looked at the role of the Controller and Auditor-General, the Ombudsmen, and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. What is being suggested here and what has been approved—it ...

Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE ... under this Government and under this administration. I can give the member assurance that the ability to approach the Ombudsmen and Privacy Commissioner, and to appeal to courts—all those legal privileges and rights—is still preserved. But, as ...

Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH ... information in front of the public, after a battle with the department to get this information, which involved the Ombudsmen. And the information was finally released on Thursday evening just before Easter, just before Good Friday. Is that an ...

Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN I move, That pursuant to section 3(4) of the Ombudsmen Act 1975, this House recommends His Excellency the Governor-General appoint Beverley Anne Wakem, CBE, Ombudsman, of ...

NATHAN GUY ... think it is appropriate for the House, and for those people listening, if I talk about the very important role of the Ombudsmen in our society. Earlier on this week the House appropriated money to three areas that sit under the Officers of ...

Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN ... commending to His Excellency the alterations to the appropriations for the 2007/08 financial year in respect of Vote Ombudsmen and Vote Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, and the appropriations and information for the 2008/09 ...

NATHAN GUY National supports the appropriations for Vote Ombudsmen and Vote Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, and for the Auditor-General. It is quite interesting when we ...

Dr PITA SHARPLES The Māori Party is pleased to support the motion in respect of Vote Audit, Vote Ombudsmen, Vote Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, and Offices of Parliament. Our comments are focused on the ...

TE URUROA FLAVELL ... even more relevant opinion on the issues relating to privacy we were interested in the advice of the Office of the Ombudsmen, which put forward the view that the privacy of individuals can be addressed through the routine application of the ...

Dr RICHARD WORTH ... if their personal details were to be made public. So a compromise has been reached that gives certain powers to the Ombudsmen, but nevertheless preserves those names and addresses from the public domain, albeit that such information is ...

Hon TARIANA TURIA ... risks from impacting on the sector before any other problematic organisms arrive. The 4-year investigation by the Ombudsmen into the impact and effects of aerial spraying of pesticide should have given sufficient warning to the Government of ...

Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN ... regard to section 45F(1)(b) of the Public Finance Act 1989, this House appoint Deloitte as the auditor to audit the Ombudsmen for the financial years ending on 30 June 2008, 30 June 2009, and 30 June 2010, commencing on the date on which the ...

Hon MAURICE WILLIAMSON ... on the Act that the identity of a whistleblowing employee would not be protected. Ms Scholtens concluded that the Ombudsmen could assist whistleblowers, coordinate referrals between appropriate authorities, and guide and review the Act’s ...

GRANT ROBERTSON ... information about the Protected Disclosures Act. New section 6B, inserted by clause 6, deals with this issue, so the Ombudsmen are now empowered to provide information and guidance to employees about their rights. That is very important. Not ...

KEITH LOCKE ... provided in this bill for whistleblowing. It is interesting to read the annual report of the Office of the Ombudsmen—there is a nice picture in there of David McGee, one of the Ombudsmen, who is our previous Clerk of the House. On ...

TE URUROA FLAVELL ... a professional and sensitive manner. The Māori Party is pleased with the amendment that affects section 30 of the Ombudsmen Act, making it an offence to refuse to provide to the Ombudsman the information specified in that provision. We ...

KANWALJIT SINGH BAKSHI It is my honour to stand in support of the Protected Disclosures Amendment Bill. The bill is designed to give Ombudsmen an enhanced guiding, reviewing, and investigating role in relation to the disclosure of serious wrongdoing, with the ...

Hon RUTH DYSON ... it easier for organisations to investigate those concerns and allegations effectively; it enhances the role of the Ombudsmen; and it extends the definitions of “employees” to include volunteers, and also, as my friend and colleague Chris ...

PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA ... on the Act that the identity of a whistleblowing employee would not be protected. This bill gives the Office of the Ombudsmen that enhanced role. It also picks up a number of other recommendations designed to improve the Act’s protections and ...

COLIN KING ... very much about the body of this bill. They add transparency and confidence. They have everything to do with what the Ombudsmen’s responsibilities are. New section 15A takes us through how the Ombudsmen may take over some investigations or ...

DARIEN FENTON ... bill is going to do better, I would like to know what resources the Minister proposes to provide to the Office of the Ombudsmen—a question that was asked earlier by my colleague Grant Robertson. If this amendment bill is going to do better, and ...

Dr PAUL HUTCHISON ... the report out and I note that it is, indeed, very substantial. One of the points she made was that the Office of the Ombudsmen would also be able to help to conduct initial screenings to determine whether the nature of the complaint was such as ...

PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA ... to the Committee, the bill is designed to improve aspects of an Act that currently exists. It gives the Ombudsmen an enhanced coordinating and helping role. It should allow whistleblowers to bring serious wrongdoings to light, ...

COLIN KING ... that have been adopted by a public organisation, they should then be taken seriously. And they can go to the Ombudsmen, who should get alongside them and walk them through the process, where necessary. That will do a lot for the general ...

Dr PAUL HUTCHISON ... Part 1, which we are talking about, is the substantial part. As stated in the commentary, “The bill will give the Ombudsmen a larger guiding, reviewing, and investigating role in relation to disclosures of serious wrongdoing, with the Office ...

CRAIG FOSS ... helped lead to the bill we have before us today. I will be speaking around clause 6 in relation to the role of the Ombudsmen. I just note that the whistleblower known as Ms Deborah Houston has actually received an apology. I would like to ...

GRANT ROBERTSON I want to return to where we were slightly earlier in the debate, when talking about the Ombudsmen’s increased powers. In my earlier call I was talking about the Ombudsmen’s ability to review an investigation or ...

COLIN KING ... Bill, it is appropriate that we give due consideration to the extended powers and authority of the Office of the Ombudsmen because it underpins the credibility and integrity of the amendment bill. The Office of the Ombudsmen is an Office of ...

SUE MORONEY ... We have discovered through the passage of time that the Act does need amending, and Part 1 enhances the role of the Ombudsmen. I think it is timely for another reason, not only because approximately 9 years have elapsed since this legislation ...

JACQUI DEAN ... also a lack of confidence in the protection of a whistleblower’s identity. The bill provides additional powers for Ombudsmen to request information from both public and private organisations, and to coordinate cross-agency activity. This bill ...

RAHUI KATENE ... role in guiding, reviewing, and investigating disclosures of serious wrongdoing. In particular, the Office of the Ombudsmen is charged with facilitating a collaborative, cross-agency approach. We support the role of the Ombudsman in taking ...

JOHN HAYES ... 2 years ago saying to John Belgrave, a friend and a man I highly respected as an Ombudsman, that the Office of the Ombudsmen was vital because it was the one guarantor that the right thing could be done, and when the right thing was not done ...

NATHAN GUY ... 6, which specifically excludes private sector organisations from being obliged to comply with a request from the Ombudsmen for information about an organisation’s internal procedures. The second amends section 15E(3), inserted by clause 8, ...

Hon Dr RICHARD WORTH ... consulted on the Act that the identity of a whistle-blowing employee will not be protected. She concluded that the Ombudsmen could assist whistleblowers, coordinate referrals between appropriate authorities, and guide and review the Act’s ...

CHESTER BORROWS ... a managing and coordinating role but is not given the role to advocate for the whistleblower or issue directions. The Ombudsmen have consecutively had the confidence of Parliament; the Ombudsmen are seen as holding a very important role within ...

SIMON POWER ... in respect of the bill. As the explanatory note states at the start of the bill: “The Bill is designed to give the Ombudsmen an enhanced guiding, reviewing, and investigating role …”. That is an important step that this legislation ....

Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN I move, That, pursuant to sections 3 and 5 of the Ombudsmen Act 1975, this House recommends His Excellency the Governor-General appoint David Graham McGee, CNZM, QC, of ...

Hon BILL ENGLISH ... Government in recognising the long service of David McGee. I congratulate him on his appointment to the Office of the Ombudsmen. I support everything Dr Cullen said. Dr Cullen would be acknowledged as being probably one of the few ...

NANDOR TANCZOS ... Green Party warmly supports this motion. I will begin our speech in support by talking about the importance of the Ombudsmen, first of all. I thank Dr Cullen for his brief history lesson on the office of the Ombudsman in this country. The ...

Hon RICK BARKER ... and a great defender of it. He will be sorely missed. He has been a great servant. But in our loss, I think that the Ombudsmen’s service will have gained an outstanding individual. If we were ever to nominate one of the best people we could ...

CHARLES CHAUVEL ... those whom we interviewed. I will just briefly point to the practical reasons for the increase in the work of the Ombudsmen. Obviously when the role was first created under the 1975 legislation it was confined to the investigation of ...

Dr JACKIE BLUE ... agreed with the bill. As a result, the Governor-General has signed an Order in Council to amend schedule 1 of the Ombudsmen Act to ensure that District Health Boards New Zealand is subject to the complaints jurisdiction of the Ombudsman, and ...

JO GOODHEW ... intention of the bill. We know that the Governor-General has signed an Order in Council to amend schedule 1 of the Ombudsmen Act, to ensure that District Health Boards New Zealand is subject to the complaints jurisdiction of the Ombudsman ...

Hon TREVOR MALLARD ...Ngāi Tahu. I do not want to be accused, as a Mallard, of any self-interest, but in respect of the insertion into the Ombudsmen Act 1975 of “New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa” after “The New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust ...

Hon CHRIS CARTER ... to submit an annual report to the Minister on the board’s performance. The bill will now also be subject to the Ombudsmen Act of 1975. This legislation provides a sound framework for New Zealand’s official geographic naming needs in the ...

Hon BILL ENGLISH ... New Zealander in the horrifying, claustrophobic environment of the back of an inadequate prison van. Nothing that the Ombudsmen’s report brings forth has changed that. Helen Clark still has not got the message. One would think that the polls ...

Hon MITA RIRINUI ... in the House this afternoon. I listened to the debate surrounding Liam Ashley’s tragic death, and I acknowledge the Ombudsmen’s report and the rigorous debate that followed in the House this afternoon. A lot of the issues have been debated ...

Madam SPEAKER ... received letters from Simon Power and Nandor Tanczos, seeking to debate under Standing Order 380 the report of the Ombudsmen entitled Investigation by John Belgrave, Chief Ombudsman and Mel Smith, Ombudsman of the Department of Corrections in ...

SIMON POWER ... was also responsible for reports being written and for follow-up action in the Liam Ashley tragedy, about which the Ombudsmen have produced one of the most scathing and direct reports this House has seen in some time. We found out today ...

Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR ... of Corrections to prevent such a tragedy occurring in the future. The safety of prisoners was the prime focus of this Ombudsmen’s report. However, the safety of the community, through the responsibility of the Department of Corrections, must be ...

RON MARK ... not share the Minister’s view that the Department of Corrections did not seek to deceive or mislead the Office of the Ombudsmen. New Zealand First believes that it is very clear, from the report, in the rebuttals to Department of Corrections ...

NANDOR TANCZOS ... George Baker on 17 August last year sent a shock wave through our country, and led ultimately to the Office of the oOmbudsmen conducting this inquiry. I hope this report gives the family some comfort, and the opportunity to heal some of their ...

HONE HARAWIRA ... Māori. That means there is a better than even chance that prisoners in transit will be Māori, as well. So when the Ombudsmen talk about the inhumane treatment of prisoners in transit, that means overwhelmingly Māori. I quote his concluding ...

Hon PETER DUNNE ... to be implemented in their totality. I think that is what we should expect of public officials of the calibre of our Ombudsmen, and it is one of the tributes we can pay to the strength of the ombudsmen system in New Zealand—the ability to be ...

Hon TONY RYALL ... contributed directly to the tragedy that happened to Liam Ashley. If that department had done what it told the Ombudsmen it had done, then this tragedy may not have happened. This tragedy may not have happened if it had done what it told ...

Hon PAUL SWAIN ... it must be done in all circumstances. Again, I congratulate him on doing that. We are here really to debate the Ombudsmen’s report, but people have said a couple of things that I would like to address, and I do this as a former Minister of ...

Madam SPEAKER I have received a letter from Simon Power, seeking to debate under Standing Order 380 a report of the Ombudsmen into prisoner transportation. The report was released when I tabled it in the House today, even though it had been ...

Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN I move, That, pursuant to section 8 of the Ombudsmen Act 1975, this House recommend His Excellency the Governor-General appoint Melwyn Purefoy Smith, of Wellington, as an ...

Hon PETE HODGSON ... to His Excellency the alterations to the appropriations for the 2006/07 financial year in respect of Vote Audit, Vote Ombudsmen and Vote Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, and the appropriations and information for the 2007/08 ...

NATHAN GUY ... of the Controller and Auditor-General, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, and the Office of the Ombudsmen. Parliament has been seeking candidates for the new position of the third ombudsman, and applications closed on 27 ...

HONE HARAWIRA ... to attend. We have looked over the operations of the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General, the Office of the Ombudsmen, and the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment to see whether they can carry out their duties ...

STEVE CHADWICK ... That includes the Official Information Act, the Australian Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act, and the Ombudsmen Act in both countries, and scrutiny by both Auditor-Generals. I find that to be very strong and robust ....

Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN I move, That, pursuant to section 8 of the Ombudsmen Act 1975, this House recommend His Excellency the Governor-General appoint Melwyn Purefoy Smith, of Wellington, as an ...

LINDSAY TISCH ... has pleasure in supporting the appointment of Mr Smith as an additional Ombudsman for 6 months. The demands on the Ombudsmen’s office are increasing. It is interesting to note that they currently have 1,040 files, which are live files, and ...

KEITH LOCKE ... work as an Ombudsman but in the justice system and looking at prison conditions, which is a major part of the Ombudsmen’s duties. That has developed a bit since the recent passing in the House of the Crimes of Torture Amendment Bill, ...

Dr PITA SHARPLES ... a result of the disproportionate societal problems for indigenous people. This is the bread and butter work that our Ombudsmen are faced with, day in, day out. We know, as well, that there are many and varied reasons why a person would go to ...

Hon STEVE MAHAREY ... the Environment, and the appropriations and information for the 2006-07 financial year in respect of Vote Audit, Vote Ombudsmen, and Vote Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and Offices of Parliament. The need for this motion ...

Dr PITA SHARPLES ... rises today to speak to the motion. The provisions earmarked within the 2004-05 appropriations for Vote Audit, Vote Ombudsmen, and Vote Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, and the associated draft budgets, reflect an important ...

KEITH LOCKE ... with a ticking bomb scenario. It is not the road to follow at all. Part 2 amends several Acts, including the Ombudsmen Act and the Crimes of Torture Act 1989, and my amendments were directed to adding more clarity. For example, rather ...

CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON ... (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act, the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act, and to the Ombudsmen Act 1975 and the Police Complaints Authority Act 1988. Those are the ones that I focus on. I would be interested to ...

DIANNE YATES ... in terms of possible changes. The other things that the select committee did were to continue the designation of the Ombudsmen in the health and disabilities services area, and to ensure that the reporting mechanisms were described in the bill ...

DIANNE YATES ... should come under the Health and Disability Commissioner. It was agreed that it should be with the Office of the Ombudsmen and that the Ombudsman’s reporting processes should continue as at present. Those were matters that the select ...

KEITH LOCKE ... than to the executive branch. That is the case with some of the human rights mechanisms such as the Office of the Ombudsmen. I will now go over the powers granted to the national preventive mechanisms. One of the important ones is the ...

JILL PETTIS ... the commissioner’s role as an advocate for patients’ rights. The committee also considered that the Office of the Ombudsmen should be designated as the national preventive mechanism in respect of persons detained in health and disability ...

DIANNE YATES ... time being, be designated under section 26 as a National Preventive Mechanism: an ombudsman holding office under the Ombudsmen Act, the Police Complaints Authority, the Children’s Commissioner, persons designated by the director-general under ...

TARIANA TURIA ... you doing for others?”. The answer to that question in the prisons of this country is depressing. The report of the Ombudsmen released last Christmas described the shameful shadow of neglect that hangs over our penal walls. The report ...

Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE ... the Incorporated Societies Amendment Bill, the Judicature Amendment Bill, the Maritime Transport Amendment Bill, the Ombudsmen Amendment Bill, the Personal Property Securities Amendment Bill, the Radiocommunications Amendment Bill, the ...