| New Zealand Chief Ombudsman | |
|---|---|
| Nga Kaitiaki Mana Tangata | |
| Agency overview | |
| Jurisdiction | New Zealand |
| Headquarters | 70 The Terrace, PO Box 10 152, Wellington |
| Agency executives | Beverley Wakem, CBE, Chief Ombudsman David McGee, CNZM QC, Ombudsman |
| Website | |
| http://www.ombudsmen.parliament.nz/ | |
New Zealand's Chief Ombudsman (Nga Kaitiaki Mana Tangata in Maori) is appointed by the Governor-General of New Zealand on recommendation of the House of Representatives to oversee investigation of complaints against government departments, and report, with recommendations, to Parliament.
The post of Ombudsman was established in New Zealand in 1962. Sir Guy Powles, the last governor of Samoa, served as the first Ombudsman. In 1975, the number of ombudsmen was expanded, with Powles assuming the role of Chief Ombudsman and an unspecified number of other ombudsmen.
In 2005, Chief Ombudsman John Belgrave was rocketed to national prominence after he forced the Prime Minister Helen Clark to release treasury costings of her controversial interest-free student loan programme. Clark reluctantly did so, and it was revealed that she and Minister of Finance Michael Cullen had grossly understated the cost of it.
In 2003, John Belgrave was appointed the country's Chief Ombudsman; however, he later died in office on 3 December 2007 due to cancer. [1]
Beverley Wakem is currently the Chief Ombudsman and David McGee is Ombudsman. On 14 April 2008 the Officers of Parliament Committee recommended that Wakem's appointment be made permanent[2] (as she was the "acting" Ombudsman up until that point).
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