Requesting information
People in New Zealand can request government information (official information) and can expect it to be made available unless there is a good reason to withhold it.
The Official Information Act 1982 (or OIA) enables citizens, permanent residents, visitors to New Zealand, and body corporates registered or with a place of business in New Zealand, to make a request for official information held by government agencies, including MidCentral District Health Board.
Making a request
Your request should be as clear and specific as you can possibly make it. Before making a request please check our other sources of information listed below, and take into account the pressure on the DHB at present as a result of COVID-19.
You can contact us in a number of ways to request information:
- by email: oia@midcentraldhb.govt.nz
- by post: OIA Request, MidCentral DHB, PO Box 2056, Palmerston North 4440
- by telephone: 06 350 8967
We would like:
- your name
- contact address (email or postal)
- details of the information you want.
We may ask you for more details.
If you make your request by phone or in person, we will either confirm it in writing ourselves or, if we’re not sure what you’re seeking, we may ask if you would mind putting it in writing.
Before making a request
Before making a request please check our other sources of information. You may find the information you require is already available as noted below. Please also be aware that as an essential service the DHB's priority is the COVID-19 pandemic and its ability to respond to OIAs is significantly impacted.
MidCentral DHB resources:
- Publications for copies of MDHB’s annual reports, annual plans, quality account and other key publications
- About MDHB for information about MidCentral DHB
- Serious & Adverse Events for MidCentral DHB’s annual reports on adverse events
- Board and Committees for copies of minutes and agendas for meetings of MDHB’s board and committees
How long will it take?
We will acknowledge your request and are required by law 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 are requesting a lot of information, we will let you know and give you an idea of how long it will take. You can complain to the
Office of the Ombudsman if you are not happy with our decision to extend the time.
You can see data on the number of requests we receive each year and the timeliness of our responses on the
Official Information Act Statistics part of the State Services Commission’s website.
What does it cost?
Requesting official information is free, though we can charge a reasonable amount if it will take a lot of work to supply the information requested. There’s no charge for the first hour spent on your request or for the first 20 pages of photocopying.
What if I’m not satisfied?
You may wish to contact us in the first instance to see if we can resolve the issue.
- have concerns regarding the decision we made on your request
- are unhappy about the way your request was treated or processed.
These concerns can relate to the withholding of information, extending the timeframe to respond to you, any charges for providing the information you have requested, delays in providing you with a decision or the information, or your request being transferred.
The
Office of the Ombudsman can investigate and review our decision and may make a recommendation to us if it is considered appropriate.