Obtaining information
Information relating to Auckland Council is usually available on this website or OurAuckland. You can search our website to find your topic of interest or alternatively, contact us.
- Agendas and minutes of Governing Body, committee, and local board meetings can be found on Infocouncil.
- For information predating Auckland Council (formed in November 2010), contact our archives team.
- For information on public transport or the road corridor (including CCTV footage from road cameras), contact Auckland Transport.
- For information about water supply and wastewater, contact Watercare.
For detailed guidance on making requests for information, visit the Office of the Ombudsman.
Types of information requests you can make
If you need a lot of information, or if you can't find out what you want from this website or our staff, you may need to make a formal request.
There are two types of information requests we can help you with:
- Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act (LGOIMA)
- Privacy requests.
Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act (LGOIMA) requests
You can make a LGOIMA request for any information that we hold, such as:
- council projects
- information you need to participate in a consultation
- the reason for a decision or our decision-making process
- our policies and procedures.
If you are not satisfied with our response to your request for official information, you can complain to the Office of the Ombudsman.
How to make a good request
A good request helps us to find information, so you will need to:
- tell us what you are looking for in clear plain language
- request factual information or figures
- explain the context or reasons you want the information.
In your request, include as many specific details as possible, for example:
- a specific timeframe, including dates and times if possible
- key words for email searches
- locations or addresses
- names of any council staff or departments you have been in contact with
- reference numbers.
Remember to attach any supporting documents to your request.
Privacy requests
Privacy requests are for information we hold about you, such as:
- payments you have made to us
- interactions you have had with us.
In your Privacy Act request, you must provide a copy of your identification.
If you are not happy with the outcome of your request, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
Timeframe for a response to your request
Standard requests
We aim to provide a final response within 20 working days.
We will let you know as soon as possible if:
- we cannot meet the deadline
- we need more information
- we need to refine the scope of your request
- the information is held by another government organisation and we need to transfer your request.
Request delays
We may take longer to respond if your requests is:
- broad, vague or open to interpretation
- fishing for information
- asking for a lot of information
- asking for opinions or views
- seeking information about things that have not happened yet.
Urgent requests
You can ask us to treat your request as urgent. If you do, you need to provide a reason. One of our team will advise you on what is possible.
Withholding or refusing to give information
We may withhold or refuse to give information for reasons specified in sections 6, 7 and 17 of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.
If we withhold or refuse to give information, we will explain the reason why.
For information about withholding personal information, see sections 27 to 29 of the Privacy Act 2020.
When you may need to pay for information
You may be required to make a payment when making a LGOIMA or privacy request.
We will tell you the cost of your request before we begin collating the information. You can then decide to proceed, withdraw or refine your request.
We might ask for some or all of the cost to be paid in advance. Our chief executive can waive charges at his discretion.
