Sir Guy Powles (left) was photographed at his swearing-in as ombudsman in 1962 with Leader of the Opposition Walter Nash, Minister of Justice Ralph Hanan and another guest. The presence of both National and Labour party politicians emphasised the bipartisan support for the office when it was first established.
Listen to Sir Guy Powles describe the approach he took when he first became ombudsman, in this 1979 radio interview with Michael King.
Transcript
When the bill was passed, I had made my intentions known to the government and the Prime Minister knew I was interested and to cut a long story short, I was appointed.
Michael King: What qualities did you find were required to make a success of this new office?
I have been asked that a number of times and I've given some consideration to it in connection with the posts of ombudsmen all over the world of which there are now so very many. And what I say has a certain element of hindsight in it because in 1962 I was a complete new boy. I was only the fourth ombudsman in the whole world and quite honestly I didn't have a clue as to what I was really going to do. I knew broadly what I was expected to do. But on the, from the day to day working out of the office I had to build it up as I went along and developed my own procedures and all that sort of thing.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Reference: 200159
Image: Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira, H1913
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