Before making a request

Nelson City Council is committed to promoting openness and transparency in all its dealings and makes a large amount of information available through its website.

Make a Request Please ensure you check the website and the related information section to see if the information you need has already been published, before making a request.

If you are unable to find the information, be as specific as you can when making your request. This will help us find the information faster.

How to make a request

Types of request

You can make a LGOIMA (Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act) request for any information that we hold, such as:

  • Information on Council projects
  • The reason for a decision or our decision-making process
  • Our policies and procedures

Privacy requests are for information we hold about you, such as:

  • Payments you have made to us
  • Interactions you have had with staff

Request timeframe

We will acknowledge your request and you will receive the information within 20 working days. You can use the calculator from the Office of the Ombudsman to determine when the 20 working days expire.

However, we may extend the time limit if your request is complex, involves a large amount of research and collation, or requires us to consult with other parties, and we cannot provide you with the information within 20 days. We will let you know if we need to do this.

You can ask us to treat your request as urgent. If you do, you must give reasons explaining the need for urgency.

Why a request would be transferred

If the information you want is held by another organisation covered by the Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act, we may transfer your request to that agency. If we transfer your request, we will let you know within 10 working days of receiving your request.

Potential costs when making a request

Usually, there will be no charge for your request. However, if a request is for a significant amount of information, or requires substantial collation and research, we may consider imposing a charge.

You are entitled to

  • The first hour of time free
  • Twenty pages of free photocopying
  • Time in excess of one hour is charged at $38/half hour
  • Additional copying is charged at 20 cents per page

If we are going to charge you, we will advise you of the cost of processing your request before we begin working on it. You can then decide if you want to continue, withdraw or refine your request. We will ask you to pay some or all of this cost in advance.

Information Council can withhold

 We may withhold information for specific reasons. If we do, we will explain the reason why.

The specific reasons enabling us to withhold information are set out in sections 6 and 7 of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act. The most common reasons to withhold information are to:

  • Protect peoples’ privacy
  • Maintain legal privilege
  • Enable the Council to carry on its commercial activities

How to get a decision reviewed

If you are unhappy with a decision to withhold information, to charge a fee, to extend the time frame on a request or have concerns about how we have dealt with your request, you are able to have the decision reviewed by the Office of the Ombudsman

 

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