Ngā tono i raro i ngā ture tūmatawhāiti, kōrero hoki OIA and Privacy Act requests

Find contact details for requests under the Official Information Act or Privacy Act.

Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) requests

Before you make an OIA request

Please consider whether the information you are requesting is publicly available or could be readily answered by another team.

For general enquiries, please contact info@vuw.ac.nz.

If you are a current or prospective student, the University offers a wide range of support services, advice, and resources. Some common requests can be made as follows:

Prospective student

If you are a prospective student seeking information to apply to study with us, please contact our Student Success Advisers for admissions advice.

Current student

If you are a current student seeking advice on studies, student administration, support services, and student life in general, please contact Tītoko—Centre for Student Success.

Grade distributions

For grade distributions, please contact your course coordinator or lecturer. Contact details can be found on the relevant course page, which you can search for on our Course finder.

Past test and exam papers

For copies of past test and exam papers, please refer to Te Waharoa—the Library’s discovery system to search for past papers. If you can’t find what you are looking for there, please contact your course coordinator or lecturer for assistance.

The University also proactively releases information about its work. You can find some key information here:

• University Council meeting dates, agendas and minutes
• Academic Board agendas, minutes and papers
• University statutes, policies, regulations and procedures
• other key University documents, such as our Annual Report, Ki te rā—Student Wellbeing Outcomes Framework, Strategic Plan and more, are on the University’s publications page.

Submitting your OIA request

Your request should be as clear and specific as possible. Where you can, it is helpful to clarify what type of information you are seeking, the timeframe, and any other background that may help us locate the information. The Ombudsman’s guide for requestors is a useful resource if you are unsure. We are also happy to work with you to clarify your request.

When you have decided to submit your request through the Official Information team.

Email: oiarequests@vuw.ac.nz

Telephone: 0800 04 04 04

Post: OIA team, Legal Services
Victoria University of Wellington
PO Box 600
Wellington 6140
New Zealand

We need:

1. your name
2. your contact address (email or postal)
3. the details of the information you are seeking.

Please note if you make your request by phone or in person, we will either confirm it in writing or, if we’re not sure what you’re seeking, we may ask you to put it in writing.

How long it will take

We will acknowledge your request as soon as practicable and are required by law to respond no later than 20 working days after we receive it. For large requests or those requiring consultation, the OIA allows for a reasonable extension to this time limit (section 15A(1)). If so, we will let you know and give you a specific due date.

If you refine your request, the 20 working days will start from the day after this amendment has been received. If we need to clarify your request and do so within the first seven working days, the 20 working-day timeframe will begin again once the clarified request is confirmed (section 15(1AA)).

Withholding information

We will make information available to you, unless there is a reason why we are unable to do so. This may include that information needs to be withheld - reasons for this are set out in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA. In some cases, your request may be refused for administrative reasons, for example where information is publicly available. Reasons for refusing requests are set out in section 18 of the OIA.

When we withhold information or refuse your request, we will tell you which part of the OIA applies.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with our response, please contact us in the first instance to see if we can resolve the issue. Otherwise, you have the right to complain to the Office of the Ombudsman. They can be contacted via their online form: Make a complaint (for members of the public).

OIA policy

The University's OIA policy outlines the rules, responsibilities, and standards that govern our OIA process.

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Privacy Act 2020 (Privacy) requests

You have the right to:

• find out from us whether we hold personal information about you
• access that information; and, if applicable
• request corrections of that information.

How to make a Privacy request

If you want to request personal information the University holds about you, please contact us:

Email: privacy@vuw.ac.nz

Telephone: 0800 04 04 04

Post: Privacy Officer, Legal Services
Victoria University of Wellington
PO Box 600
Wellington 6140
New Zealand

Complaints

If you have any concerns, please contact us in the first instance to see if we can resolve the issue. Otherwise, you have the right to complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. They can be contacted via their website: Make a complaint (for members of the public).

Privacy policy

The University’s Privacy Notice and Privacy Policy outlines its management of personal information.