Information Sheet
Local Government and Official Information &
Meetings Act (LGOIMA) and Privacy Act 1993
The Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 and the Privacy Act 1993 guides
how Auckland Council and other local authorities manage and respond to requests for information.
A request for information can be made to Auckland Council in person, over the phone, in writing or by email.
Once we’ve received your request we’ll write to you to acknowledge the request and provide you with a
reference number.
If we’re not sure what information you're looking for we’ll contact you to clarify your request. If your request
is broad or requires significant research and collation we may ask you to refine your request by narrowing
the time frame or scope.
How much will it cost?
If you’ve asked for a large amount of information or it’s likely to take a significant amount of time or research
to put the information together, we may ask you to pay for this.
We’ll let you know of any charges before we begin to process your request. You can then decide if you would
like to go ahead with the request or refine the information you’re looking for.
Our charging policy is:
The first four hours of time spent on fulfilling official information requests are free, and thereafter a
charge of $38 (inclusive GST) for each additional half hour.
Twenty pages of free photocopying, thereafter a charge of 20 cents per page.
All other charges are fixed at an amount that recovers the actual costs involved (e.g. reproducing a
photograph).
For more detailed information download our policy on charging for official information go to our Official
Information home page at:
http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/en/contactus/official_information_responses/Pages/home.aspx
We’ll respond to you within 20 working days of receiving your request. If it’s going to take longer than this
we’ll let you know the reason why. We’ll also confirm the new date we will respond to you by.
We’ll only extend a request if there is a large amount of research, collation or consultation needed to make a
decision on your request and we’re not able to do this within 20 working days of receiving your request.
Visit the Ombudsman’s website to view the LGOIMA Response Calendar at:
http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
Transferring your request
If we don’t hold the information you’re looking for and we think the information is held by another local
authority or government agency i.e. Auckland Transport, we’ll transfer your request to them. If this happens,
we’ll let you know in writing within 10 working days of receiving your request.
Responding to your request
We’ll respond to your request in writing and outline the information that has been provided. If we have
withheld any information we will let you know why and the section of the Local Government Official
Information Act 1987 that applies.
Sometimes we may refuse a request for information. We will write to you to let you know why and the
section of the Act that applies. Some common reasons for refusing a request are
Granting your request for information
In some cases we may write to you to say that your request has been granted. This may happen when we
know what information we can provide but further collation, review or redaction is needed before the
information can be released. When we grant a request we’ll let you know what information we will be
providing, if we are withholding any information and why.
Publishing information requests on our website
We regularly publish responses to requests for information on our website which may be of interest to the
general public. When publishing a response, we’ll withhold the names of individual requestors to protect
their privacy. Visit our LGOIMA Responses page at:
http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/ContactUs/official_information_responses/Pages/lgoima.aspx
Requests for private information
Requests for private information will be processed under the Privacy Act 1993. We may ask you to confirm
your identity by visiting an Auckland Council Service Centre and providing photo I.D before we start to
process your request.
Where possible, we’ll get the information to you within 20 working days of receiving your privacy request.
We’ll always let you know if it’s going to take longer.
Office of the Ombudsman
If you have any questions or concerns about your information request please let us know. If we’re unable to
meet your concerns you have the right to contact the Office of the Ombudsman at
http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
