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The Office of the Ombudsman (in Māori: ''Tari o te Kaitiaki Mana Tangata'') was established in 1962 under the Parliamentary Commissioner (Ombudsman) Act 1962. The term "Ombudsman" is Swedish and basically means "grievance person".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=History )〕 The primary role of the Ombudsman in New Zealand is to investigate complaints against government agencies. In 1983 the responsibilities were extended to include investigation of agencies that fail to provide information requested in accordance with the Official Information Act. The Ombudsman also has responsibility to protect whistleblowers and investigate the administration of prisons and other places of detention. ==History== The first Ombudsman in New Zealand was Guy Powles who had a previous background as a lawyer, soldier, administrator and diplomat. He held the position of Ombudsman from 1962 until his retirement in 1977.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Past Ombudsmen )〕 At the time of his appointment, only three other countries had an Ombudsman - Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The (Ombudsmen Act ) came into force in 1975. This allowed for the appointment of additional Ombudsmen in addition to the chief Ombudsman and extended the role to include local government agencies. In 1983, the (Official Information Act ) required government agencies to respond to requests for information (known as OIA requests) and the Ombudsman was given the task of investigating complaints against Ministers of the Crown and central government agencies when requested information was not supplied in a timely manner. In 1988 the Ombudsman's powers were extended to decisions made by local government agencies as well. In 2001, the (Protected Disclosures Act ) (commonly known as the “whistle-blower” legislation) was passed. This makes the Ombudsman responsible for "providing advice and guidance to any employee who has made, or is considering making, a disclosure about serious wrongdoing in their workplace (either public or private sector)".〔(History ), Ombudsman official website〕 In 2005 all crown entities were brought within the Ombudsman's jurisdiction under the (Ombudsmen Act ) and Official Information Act.〔 In 2007, the Office of the Ombudsman was designated as a (National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) ) under the (Crimes of Torture Act 1989 ) (COTA). This legislation establishes New Zealand’s human rights obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment ((“OPCAT”) ) to "prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" by establishing a system of regular and independent visits to prisons and other places of detention. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Office of the Ombudsman (New Zealand)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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