What is official information?

Under the Official Information Act 1982, official information includes information held by: ³⁷⁴⁶

• A Minister of the Crown in his or her official capacity (not as a Member of Parliament)
• A government department listed in Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Ombudsmen Act 1975 (e.g. Department of Conservation and Ministry for the Environment)
• An organisation listed in Part 2 of Schedule1 of the Ombudsmen Act 1975 or Schedule 1 of the Official Information Act (e.g. Environmental Protection Authority)

Under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, official information includes information held by: ³⁷⁴⁷

• A local authority (which includes city, district and regional councils, territorial authorities, community boards, and others)

Official information includes material held in any format including: ⁴⁶⁴⁹

• Written documents, reports, memoranda, letters, emails, and notes;
• Non-written documentary information, such as material stored on a computer, video recording, or mobile device;
• Information which is known to an agency but which has not yet been recorded in writing or otherwise. 

Last updated at 6:09PM on January 17, 2018