Ombudsman to investigate allegations Ministry of Education officials tried to circumvent Official Information Act

The Ombudsman will formally investigate allegations Ministry of Education officials attempted to circumvent the Official Information Act.Chief Ombudsman John Allen met with the secretary for education, Ellen MacGregor-Reid, and the public service commissioner, Sir Brian Roche, on Friday morning "to discuss allegations of attempts to circumvent the Official Information Act at the Ministry of Education"."It would not be appropriate to talk about the details of our discussion other than to say I have advised Ms MacGregor-Reid that I will be conducting a formal investigation into the allegations," he said.It began with a leaked video of senior official Dr Catherine Law telling staff not to put information shared with education minister Erica Stanford's office in writing because it could be made public under the Official Information Act (OIA). The leaker said it was not an isolated incident.Then on Thursday, a review prompted by staff concerns reported numerous issues, including allegations of favouritism, unprofessional workplace behaviours and a fear of speaking up.Secretary for education Ellen MacGregor-Reid told Morning Report on Friday she could not explain Law's comments."What she said was wrong, she should not have said it. And my expectation is that everyone within the Ministry of Education should be meeting the obligations under the Official Information Act, including that staff member."MacGregor-Reid said she had commissioned another review and would be meeting with the chief ombudsman after the interview to provide him the terms of reference."I aim to complete my investigation as soon as possible but speed will not be at the expense of thoroughness," said Allen.