Right to Information—formerly Freedom of Information
- Searching for information
- Requesting information
- Correct an error
- Publication schemes and disclosure logs
On 1 July 2009, new laws, the Right to Information Act 2009 (RTI Act) and the Information Privacy Act 2009 (IP Act), replaced the Freedom of Information Act 1992.
We are committed to open government, so we’re making it easier to access government information about our departments, services, finances, policies, registers and lists online. Unless it’s not in the public interest, you can access documents through Right to Information (RTI) or Information Privacy (IP) requests.
Search for information
Before making a request for a government document, you should check to see if the information is already available.
You can search:
- department publication schemes and disclosure logs, which show what information the agency makes available and how the information can be accessed
- Cabinet documents, which summarise some of Cabinet’s considerations the relevant department’s website.
If you cannot find what you are looking for, contact the relevant department’s RTI officer who will tell you if the information is accessible through an administrative release process or if you need to make an RTI or IP request to access it.
Request documents
You can make an RTI request for any document that we hold. You can only make an IP request for a document that has your own personal information in it.
Under the RTI Act and IP Act, you can only request to obtain or inspect documents. You can’t use this process to ask for general information or for answers to your questions. You can apply for documents:
If applying by fax, post, email or in person, use the relevant agency’s contact details.
You will need to pay an application fee when you make an RTI request. There is no application fee for making an IP request; however, you will need to give the agency evidence of your identity (e.g. a certified copy of your driver licence). The agency may not be able to give you access to all of the documents you ask for, as some documents are exempt from release. If an agency declines your request, you may be able to dispute their decision. See the Office of the Information Commissioner for details.
Correct an error
You may apply to amend documents containing personal information you believe is inaccurate, misleading, out of date or incomplete. You need to have seen or accessed the documents before you can apply to have them amended.
To apply to amend your personal information, download and complete the application form and submit it by post, fax, email or in person. There is no application fee but you will need to give the agency evidence of your identity (e.g. a certified copy of your driver licence).
Publication schemes and disclosure logs
These documents show the information each department makes available and how it can be accessed.
