Request information from us

Official information includes all information held by us in regard to the TBfree Programme and the NAIT scheme — but not personal information and not data held in the NAIT information system, as those are covered by different laws.

The Ombudsman's office has guidelines about who can make an official information request and advice on how to do it.

Guidelines for requesting official information ›

Personal information is any information about a specific individual.

The Privacy Commissioner's website gives details on who can make a request for personal information and the rules.

Personal information requests – Privacy Commissioner's website ›

Personal information we collect ›

NAIT data includes information held in NAIT about animals, their locations, movements, and persons in charge.

To change your request, contact us. We will let you know whether the changes will impact on the time it will take us to respond.

We will find all the information you have asked for, if it is available, and review it carefully. Before we decide, we may need to consult with other agencies or people who might be affected by release of the information.

We will make the information you request available unless there is a reason why we are unable to do so or there is a ‘good reason’ for withholding it.

Some of the reasons we might withhold information are, if:

• it doesn’t exist or can’t be found
• it contains other people’s personal information
• consent is required from the person whose information it is, and that consent hasn’t been obtained
• you have requested statistical information, but it might be able to be used to identify individual people
• it is commercially sensitive
• it is legally privileged.

You can find the legal grounds for this decision-making process in:

• Part 1 of the Official Information Act
• Part 4 (sections 49-53) of the Privacy Act
• Part 4 of the NAIT Act.

We will acknowledge your request and are required by law to give you our decision on your request as soon as possible, and (in the case of Official Information Act and Privacy Act requests) no later than 20 working days after we receive your request.

If you are requesting a lot of information and we need more time to make our decision, we will give you an idea of how long it will take. We will also try to keep you updated on the progress of our response to your request.

Official and personal information

Requesting information is free, though we can charge a reasonable amount if it will take a lot of work to supply the information requested. These charges must be reasonable, and may reflect some of the cost of labour (including to retrieve and collect the information) and materials in meeting your request. The Office of the Ombudsman has guidance on charging.

Charging: A guide to charging for official information

NAIT data

It usually costs $150 including GST to request NAIT data.

In the first instance, contact us if you have concerns about the information we provide. Your concerns could relate to:

• withholding of information
• extending the timeframe to respond to your request
• any charges for providing the information you requested
• delays in providing you with a decision or the information
• your request being transferred.

If you are not satisfied, you may decide to make a complaint.

Complaints about official information requests

You can make a complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman if you:

• have concerns regarding the decision we made on your request
• were unhappy about the way your request was treated or processed.

The Office of the Ombudsman can investigate and review our decision. It may make a recommendation to us if necessary.

Complaints about government agencies – Office of the Ombudsman

Complaints about personal information requests

You may be able to make a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner if you think that we haven’t handled your personal information, or a request for it, properly.

Complaining to the Privacy Commissioner