Official Information Act requests
The Official Information Act allows New Zealanders to have access to official information held by governments and government agencies.
On this page
What the Official Information Act (OIA) is
We strive to be fair and open. We're committed to making information available under the principles of the OIA unless there's a good reason to withhold it.
The Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) allows you to make a request for official information held by New Zealand government agencies, including ACC. This includes:
- citizens
- permanent residents
- visitors to New Zealand
- body corporates registered or with a place of business in New Zealand.
Examples of information we hold
- Internal policies and processes (e.g. Promapp, team process documents)
- Claims data
- Contracts
- Information about companies
- The reasons for any decisions that have been made about a person
Questions that require ACC to form an opinion or provide an explanation are not requests under the OIA. Any questions relating to the management of an individual's claim are better managed by their recovery partner.
Before you make a request
Before making a request please check our other sources of information. You may find the information you require is already available in our Resources section where we are publishing responses to OIAs.
Corporate information and reports
How to make a request
If you cannot find the information you're looking for in our published responses, email our OIA Services team.
Email GovernmentServices@acc.co.nz
What to include in your email
When you email us, please include:
- your name
- contact address (email or postal)
- contact phone number
- details of the information you want - this needs to be as clear and specific as you can make it. We may ask you for more details.
You can also tell us if you are happy to receive the information in an alternative form, for example, oral briefing, viewing or summary.
How long your request will take
We'll acknowledge that we've received your request. We're required under the OIA to give you our decision on your request as soon as possible, and no later than 20 working days after we receive your request.
If we need more time to make our decision on your request, for example, if you're requesting a lot of information, we'll let you know and give you an idea of how long it will take.
Costs for making a request
Requesting official information is free, but we can charge a reasonable amount if it will take a lot of work to supply the information requested. We'll discuss this with you if we determine that we need to do this.
Withholding information under the OIA
Under the OIA, information should be made available unless there is a good reason to withhold it. We may only withhold information for specific reasons set out in the Act. If this happens, we'll let you know why.
Refer to sections 6, 9 and 18 of the OIA
Sort out a problem with a request
If you're not happy with our response, email us to see if we can resolve the problem.
Email GovernmentServices@acc.co.nz
You can also make a complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman if you:
- have concerns regarding the decision we made on your request
- are unhappy about the way your request was treated or processed.
Concerns can relate to:
- withholding of information
- extending the timeframe to respond to you
- any charges for providing the information you've requested
- delays in providing you with a decision or the information
- your request being transferred.
The Office of the Ombudsman can investigate and review our decision and may make a recommendation to us if it's considered appropriate.
Phone 0800 802 602
Email info@ombudsman.parliament.nz
PO Box 10152
Wellington 6143
More information about OIA requests
The Ministry of Justice has published the Directory of Official Information. This contains contact details for all Government organisations covered by the Act and enables people to find out where exactly their requests for information should be made.
Directory of Official Information
The charging guidelines for OIA requests outline what the Government regards as reasonable charges for the purposes of the Official Information Act.
Charging guidelines for OIA requests
The Office of the Ombudsman has a series of guidance documents relating to OIAs.
Ombudsman resources and publications
Stat NZ has a table view for dataset information.
Get a copy of the current legislation in the Official Information Act 1982.
The State Services Commission provides oversight and leadership to state services.