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Story: Ombudsmen and officers of Parliament

Criticising the office

The value of the office and the increasing workload of the ombudsman were recognised by the Ombudsmen Act 1975, which allowed for the appointment of more than one ombudsman. However, some people were critical of this move, fearing that it would encourage trivial complaints. This cartoon was published in the National Business Review in October 1975.

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by Bob Brockie

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How to cite this page

David McGee, Ombudsmen and officers of Parliament – Ombudsmen – history, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/33096/criticising-the-office (accessed 3 June 2026).

Story by David McGee, published 21 May 2012, updated 20 January 2017.