Official Information Act Requests and Responses

Making an Official Information Act request

Please send Official Information Act (OIA) requests to:

• by email: hnzOIA@tewhatuora.govt.nz OR
• by post: OIA Requests c/o Chief Executive, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, PO Box 793, Wellington 6140

   

We will acknowledge your request when we receive it, and we will action it (or notify you of an extension) within 20 working days.

Please note some requests may attract a cost due to the amount of work required to process them. You will be informed of this charge before we proceed and asked if you would like to carry on with your request.

Withholding an information request 

Information will be made available unless there is a good reason to withhold it. The Official Information Act sets out a number of reasons for which information may be withheld. These reasons include preservation of personal privacy and protection of information which has been received in confidence. 

However, even where there is a good reason for withholding it, information will still be released if there are overriding considerations which mean it is in the public interest to release it.

Find a published Official Information Act response

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora - Southern Official Information Act requests and responses, like other agencies across the state sector, supports the open disclosure of information to assist the public’s understanding of how we are delivering publicly-funded healthcare.

This includes the proactive publication of anonymised Official Information Act responses on our website from 10 working days after they have been released.

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora - Southern Official Information Act requests and responses began publishing Official Information Act responses online from 2019. Click to see a list of OIA responses.

This list will continue to grow over time, forming a helpful reference point for commonly sought health sector data.

Before making a request under the Official Information Act, check to see whether the information you are interested in is already publicly available.

Requesting Access to Restricted Health New Zealand |Te Whatu Ora Records at Archives NZ (Dunedin Office)

If you want to access information held by Archives NZ that is restricted, please email CorporateRecords@southerndhb.govt.nz and include:

• The information required (e.g. Archives NZ code R12345678)
• Reasons for wanting access
• Copy of your current photographic ID (e.g. driver licence or passport)

Where the request is for information about a deceased person, please provide documentation showing your connection with them (e.g. their birth and/or death certificate). To check if a person is deceased it can be helpful to obtain a death certificate from Births Deaths Marriages Historical

For research requests, please provide the following details:

• Reasons for the research
• What the research will be used for
• Who will have access to the research data and findings/final report
• How the research is stored
• What will happen to the research when no longer in use
• Whether individuals will be anonymised in research, if applicable
• Letter of support from the relevant supervisor or head of department, if it is academic research
• Ethics committee approval, if applicable

Archives NZ (Dunedin Office) contact details are: dunedin.archives@dia.govt.nz. It can be helpful to contact Archives directly to check their holdings and restrictions generally.

Also, researchers may wish to check Archives NZ’s collections database and their Research Guides on Health Records

Please also note that in some circumstances, Archives NZ may apply their standard charges.

If you are unsure whether the information is held by Archives NZ or Te Whatu Ora Southern, contact the Corporate Records team and they will advise which request process to follow.

Making a request for personal health information (a Privacy Act request)

If you would like to access your personal health information, please click the button below.

Accessing my health records