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 until his retirement in 1977.[2] At the time of his appointment, only three other counties had an Ombudsman - Sweden, Finland and Denmark. Initially, the New Zealand Ombudsman was limited to investigating complaints about central government departments and organisations. In 1968, his jurisdiction was extended to include education and hospital boards. The Ombudsmen Act 1975 expanded the service and extended its reach to include local government agencies as well.[1]
In 1983, the Official Information Act required government agencies to respond to requests for information (known as OIA requests). 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 as required by the Act. In 1988 this power was extended to the review of decisions made by local government agencies as well. In 2005 all Crown entities were brought within the Ombudsman's jurisdiction under the Ombudsmen Act and Official Information Act.[1]