Official Information Act Requests
About the Official Information Act
MetService is subject to the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). This is a key accountability mechanism for government. As a result, you can make a request to MetService for information that we hold.
MetService is committed to upholding the principle of availability when responding to OIA requests. This means that information should be assumed to be made available unless there is a good reason for withholding it. Where a good reason exists for withholding the information, MetService balances the public interest in disclosing information against the need to withhold it.
The information below is designed to help you when making a request.
Before you make a request
Make sure to send your request to the correct agency
Before making a request, make sure that the information you seek is within MetService’s remit. Any request should be made to the agency, local authority, Minister or other government entity you believe holds the specific information you want. If your request is made to the wrong agency, it can result in significant delays in order for your request to be transferred. For an extensive list of what information different agencies hold, see the Directory of Official Information.
Check if the information you want is publicly available
Additionally, before making a request, we encourage you to check the sources of information below, as you may find the information you seek is already publicly available. In particular Earth Sciences New Zealand DataHub has a wide range of Weather Data.
Who can make a request
Any New Zealand citizen, permanent resident, and anyone in New Zealand and/or any New Zealand based business can make a request for official information.
What to include in your request
Your name,
Your contact details,
Clear and specific details of the information you want.
How to make a request
Email your request: oiar@metservice.com
or
Post your request to:
OIA Requests
MetService
PO Box 722
Wellington 6140
Please note that MetService social media channels are not monitored for OIA requests.
How we process your request
MetService processes Official Information Act Requests in line with its Official Information Act Policy and Procedure.
We may seek further information from you if your request is not clear, or suggest you refine your request if the scope is very broad. In limited circumstances, a charge may be incurred for the processing of your request. These charges will be consistent with the Ombudsman charging guidelines.
How long will the request take?
We will acknowledge your request as soon as practicable. Depending on the nature of the request, we may seek further clarification or transfer your request to the appropriate agency, and this may affect the time we take to reply.
MetService endeavours to respond to requests as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case not later than 20 working days after the request is received. To determine the due date for a response see the Ombudsman’s OIA calculator. Sometimes, for large requests or those requiring consultation, we may seek a time limit extension. Regardless, we will always keep you advised of when you can expect a response.
In certain circumstances, you may wish to ask that your request is treated with urgency. If you choose to do so, please provide reasons as to why your request should be treated with urgency.
What will our response look like?
We will where possible respond to your request in your preferred manner - email or post. MetService endeavours to provide responses to requests in formats that are as accessible as possible in accordance with the New Zealand Web Accessibility Standard.
If we cannot supply all the information requested or satisfy your request in full, we will inform you in our response by referring you to the specific section of the Act and explain the reason why. Information is commonly withheld on privacy and commercial sensitivity grounds. For more information, please refer to sections 6, 9 and 18 of the Official Information Act.
If there is significant public interest in the topic of your request, we may sometimes choose to respond by making the requested information publicly available online. If we choose to do this, we will let you know when and where the information will be made accessible.
Complaints
If you are not satisfied with our response or conduct in processing your Official Information Act request, contact us in the first instance so that we can try and quickly resolve the issue.
You can also complain to the Office of the Ombudsman either online or by email to info@ombudsman.parliament.nz or fax (+64) 04 471 2254 or post: The Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.