Peter Boshier
Ombudsman to inspect isolation and quarantine facilities
The Chief Ombudsman, Peter Boshier, has announced all Covid-19 isolation and quarantine facilities will be independently inspected.
Mr Boshier announced the inspection programme at a select committee… Audio
Coronavirus: Ombudsman staff headed into prisons after initial discouragement
The Chief Ombudsman has not been able to get into prisons to check on conditions during the pandemic despite grave concerns about extended lockdown hours - and the fact that he has a statutory… Audio
Watchdog to inspect aged care facilities as deaths rise
Of New Zealand's nine deaths linked to Covid-19, seven have been of residents in aged care facilities. There are now five outbreak clusters linked to aged care facilities. The Chief Ombudsman Peter… Audio
Ombudsman criticises Waikato Hospital's mental health facility
The Chief Ombudsman has told Parliament Waikato Hospital's mental health facility is seriously overcrowded and patient safety cannot be guaranteed.
Peter Boshier filed his reports into the Henry… Audio
Retraining for Christchurch City council executives
The Christchurch City Council executives will be undergoing intensive retraining on how to manage Official Information requests after an extremely critical report.
The Chief Ombudsman has uncovered a… Audio
Requests for official information include how to get rid of mosquitoes
There are probably easier ways to find out how to get rid of mosquitoes than using the Official Information Act, but it's what one Tasman resident did. It was among 386 requests for information to the… Audio
Ngawha prison conditions 'degrading' - Ombudsman
The Chief Ombudsman has found that restrictions on access to toilets and drinking water at Northland's Ngawha prison is unacceptable and amounts to degrading treatment.
He's just tabled his latest… Video, Audio
Does the OIA need to be rebuilt from the ground up?
The Official Information Act is under the microscope. The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier joins the Panel to discuss exactly what's going wrong, and whether the Act can be fixed - or whether an entirely… Audio
Ombudsman launces inquiry after baby uplift attempt
The Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the steps Oranga Tamariki takes when removing newborn babies under a court order.
It's the third inquiry announced this week following backlash after… Audio
Ombudsman to investigate Oranga Tamariki uplifts
Ombudsman Peter Boshier has announced he will be investigating Oranga Tamariki's practice of removing new born babies deemed at risk - the third inquiry into uplifts announced in the last four days… Video, Audio
Ombudsman warns govt agencies over OIA delays
The Ombudsman is warning government departments not to use the Official Information Act as a way of dragging their feet in response to media enquiries. The National Party says there is an increasing… Audio
Public watchdog toughens stance on detention of the vulnerable
The Ombudsman is upping his scrutiny of vulnerable people in secure care, following recent shocking cases of people with intellectual disabilities in confinement. Late last year, in what was a major… Audio
Horowhenua email scandal: Staff member 'stigmatised'
An Ombudsman investigation has found no grounds for Horowhenua District Council blocking emails which it claimed were abusive to its staff. Unacceptable correspondence had been one of the reasons the… Audio
Horowhenua council CEO's blocking of emails condemned by Ombudsman
Between 2011 and 2017 Horowhenua District Council's chief executive David Clapperton was blocking people's emails to the council without them knowing. Ombudsman Peter Boshier told Phil Pennington that… Audio
Whistle-blowers need better protection: Ombudsman
The Ombudsman says employees who want to blow the whistle on wrong doing in an organisation need far better protection under the law. The government is to change the law covering people who want to… Audio
Ombudsman mulls inquiry after Callaghan reveals OIA requests
The government research body, Callaghan Innovation, is defending itself against claims it doesn't treat all OIA requests equally. Earlier this morning it's chair Pete Hodgson, denied the claims his… Audio
Chief Ombudsman urges action over prison violence
The Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier is calling for urgent action at Whanganui prison to tackle increasing inmate violence and intimidation. A survey of prisoners showed 71 percent would not report… Audio
Corrections admits 'pervasive' violence in Whanganui prison
The Department of Corrections readily admits inmate and gang violence at Whanganui Prison is pervasive but it says it's doing everything it can to change the culture. The Chief Ombudsman Peter… Audio
From 'ponytail-gate' to alleged cover-ups: inside the role of government watchdogs
Unhappy with a government's release of info? Need to blow the whistle on corruption? Take your grievances to the Ombudsman - New Zealand's independent government watchdog. Audio
'No choice' but to double bunk at Arohata prison - Corrections
Corrections is insisting it has no choice but to double bunk women in tiny cells at Arohata's overflow prison at Rimutaka despite scathing criticism from the Chief Ombudsman. The Department says a… Audio