Action from the Ombudsman

Back in July, I sent an OIA to Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully seeking the date and time a particular email from the Malaysian embassy was opened by his office. The response was the most bullshit OIA response I have ever received. Naturally, I complained to the Ombudsman. While I had expressed a dismal view of the effectiveness of this course of action, based on the regular timelines complainants experience, I'm pleased to report that in this case, the system appears to be working. I had a number within a few days, and two days ago I was informed that my complaint was being handled urgently and that McCully had been told to turn over all information to the Ombudsman by the 8th. So, there's a chance that we might see an answer about how slack the Minister was before the election.

We may also see more than that; Newstalk ZB (and no doubt a horde of other journalists) sought a wider range of information from McCully, and were similarly rebuffed. Their complaint is also being investigated urgently. And hopefully that will mean more answers before the election, so the Minister 9and the PM who appointed him) can be held accountable.