Chief executive David Langford said the Ombudsman upheld a complaint that the council failed to respond within the required timeframe.
The request for information had been “missed” because it was included in one of 1600 submissions to the long term plan, and was not read by officers until it was too late to respond in time, Langford said.
“The Ombudsman had no sympathy for that and said the failure was failing to meet the timeframes.”
The council issued a formal apology for the lapse.
The Ombudsman also upheld a complaint that the council did not consult with the requestor before it declined the request.
Langford said the request was declined because the council had already supplied the information asked for. However, it was “a technical procedural failure” and the Ombudsman directed the council to review its procedure.
Langford said he hoped the Ombudsman’s findings reflected the council’s efforts to bring greater transparency to council business.
“Hopefully this can give the community some confidence and trust that when they ask for information it’s given freely and that we try to be as open and transparent as possible.”
The Ombudsman publishes data on LGOIMA complaints every six months.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.