Official Information Act
The guiding principle of the Official Information Act is that information must be made available unless a good reason exists under the Act for withholding it.
The Act, alongside the Privacy Act, creates a balance between increasing the availability of official information and enhancing respect and transparency, while at the same time protecting sensitive information where necessary for the public interest and/or to preserve personal privacy.
The University of Canterbury is a body corporate constituted under the University of Canterbury Act and the Education and Training Act.
Requests for University official information
Requests for University official information are the responsibility of the General Counsel and Registrar and enquiries should be addressed to Information and Records Management team, University of Canterbury, in the first instance.
Requests should be made in writing to records@canterbury.ac.nz
If a request is refused the applicant will be told the reason for the refusal and the process to be followed in regard to lodging an appeal with the Ombudsman.
A request must be answered as soon as reasonably practicable and no later than 20 working days. A requestor may ask that the request be treated as urgent, but reasons should be provided for seeking urgency.
The time limit for answering requests can be extended in some cases, but the applicant will be told of the extension.
Most requests will be answered free of charge, but there is provision for the University to discuss with a requestor a possible charge in those situations where substantial research and collation must be undertaken before the information can be provided.
Note: See also the Privacy Policy. There is no charge for providing readily accessible personal information.
