Official Information
Axcess1 New Zealand
Official Information management, built around OIA and Privacy Act and LGOIMA
Built around your law — not around generic case management.
Built around your law — not around generic case management
Many case-management products ask a public body to adapt its process to the software. Axcess1 is configured around the legislation, the procedures, the vocabulary and the reporting obligations of each jurisdiction. An organization chooses its Act once; every screen, deadline, letter and report then follows it.
Generic case management
The organization adapts to the software.
Axcess1
The software follows the legislation and the way government works.
Legislation supported
Official Information Act 1982 (1982 No 156) and Privacy Act 2020 (2020 No 31)
| What the Act requires | As configured in Axcess1 |
|---|---|
| Who it applies to | Departments (including departmental agencies and interdepartmental executive boards they host or service), interdepartmental ventures, Ministers of the Crown in their official capacity and the organisations to which the Act applies. Local authorities are covered by the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 instead (pack nz-lgoima). |
| Time limit to respond | 20 working days (OIA s. 15(1); Privacy Act 2020 ss. 44(1), 63(1)). The due date is calculated when the request is entered, with the holidays of the jurisdiction. |
| Extensions | Up to 20 working days. The Act sets no fixed maximum: the extension must be for a reasonable period having regard to the circumstances (s. 15A(2)); 20 working days is this product's default, not a statutory figure — enter the period actually notified. Grounds: large quantity of information, or necessary consultations (s. 15A(1)). Notice within 20 working days of receipt, stating the period, the reasons and the right to complain to an Ombudsman (s. 15A(3)–(4)). (OIA s. 15A; Privacy Act 2020 ss. 48, 65) |
| No answer in time | Treated as a refusal (s. 28(4)–(5)); overdue requests are flagged. |
| Third parties | The Act sets no formal notice; consultations are recorded and tracked on the request. |
| Transfer to another body | s. 14, within 10 days |
| Decision and reasons | The decision letter gives the reasons, the provision relied on and the right of review (s. 19). |
| Fees | No application fee. Amounts are in New Zealand dollars (NZD). A charge for supplying information may be fixed; it must be reasonable (s. 15(2)) and may be required in advance (s. 15(3)); agencies follow the Ministry of Justice Charging Guidelines for OIA requests. The charge can be reviewed by the Ombudsman (s. 28(1)(b)). Own personal information: a public sector agency may charge only if authorised by the Privacy Commissioner (Privacy Act 2020, ss. 66–67). |
| Review and complaints | Ombudsman (Office of the Ombudsman) (s. 28(3); Ombudsmen Act 1975, s. 17(1)(b)) |
| Privacy breaches | Notification is mandatory; the incident register applies this jurisdiction's threshold, notices and time limits. |
Loaded for this Act
- 68 provisions (exemptions, exceptions and exclusions) ready to cite on a redaction, each with its section number.
- Request types: Official information request (OIA s. 12); Own personal information (Privacy Act 2020, IPP 6); Correction of personal information (Privacy Act 2020, IPP 7).
- Statutory steps on the timeline: Extension under s. 15A — reasonable period, no fixed maximum; notice within 20 working days of receipt (s. 15A(3)); Privacy Act extension under s. 48 (IPP 6) or s. 65 (correction) — reasonable period; notice within 20 working days of receipt; Request transferred under s. 14 (promptly, within 10 working days of receipt; Privacy Act ss. 43, 62 for personal information); Request amended or clarified — may be treated as a new request replacing the original (s. 15(1AA); not if the agency sought it more than 7 working days after receipt, s. 15(1AB)); Consultation with affected parties or another agency or Minister (practice; no statutory notice — s. 15(5) permits consultation, s. 15A(1)(b) allows an extension for it); Charge fixed under s. 15(1A)–(3) (reasonable; all or part may be required in advance; amounts in NZD); Urgency requested by the requester with reasons (s. 12(3); Privacy Act ss. 41, 60); Ombudsman investigation and review on complaint (Part 5, s. 28)….
Checked against the published text on 2026-10-03. New Zealand Legislation — Official Information Act 1982 (1982 No 156), latest version as at 5 April 2025 · New Zealand Legislation — Privacy Act 2020 (2020 No 31), latest version as at 1 May 2026 · New Zealand Legislation — Ombudsmen Act 1975 (1975 No 9), s. 17, latest version as at 4 September 2026
Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (1987 No 174) and Privacy Act 2020 (2020 No 31)
| What the Act requires | As configured in Axcess1 |
|---|---|
| Who it applies to | Local authorities as defined in s. 2 of the Act and its Schedules (for example regional councils and territorial authorities — city and district councils — and the other local bodies listed there). Central government departments, Ministers and organisations are covered by the Official Information Act 1982 instead (pack nz-oia). |
| Time limit to respond | 20 working days (s. 13(1)). The due date is calculated when the request is entered, with the holidays of the jurisdiction. |
| Extensions | Up to 20 working days. The Act sets no fixed maximum: the extension must be for a reasonable period having regard to the circumstances (s. 14(2)); 20 working days is this product's default, not a statutory figure — enter the period actually notified. Grounds: large quantity of information, or necessary consultations (s. 14(1)). Notice within 20 working days of receipt, stating the period, the reasons and the right to complain to an Ombudsman (s. 14(3)–(4)). (s. 14) |
| No answer in time | Treated as a refusal (s. 27(4)–(5)); overdue requests are flagged. |
| Third parties | The Act sets no formal notice; consultations are recorded and tracked on the request. |
| Transfer to another body | s. 12, within 10 days |
| Decision and reasons | The decision letter gives the reasons, the provision relied on and the right of review (s. 18). |
| Fees | No application fee. Amounts are in New Zealand dollars (NZD). A charge for supplying information may be fixed; it must not exceed any prescribed amount (s. 13(2)) and otherwise must be reasonable (s. 13(3)); all or part may be required in advance (s. 13(4)). Councils commonly follow the Ministry of Justice Charging Guidelines. The charge can be reviewed by the Ombudsman (s. 27(1)(b)). |
| Review and complaints | Ombudsman (Office of the Ombudsman) (s. 27(3); Ombudsmen Act 1975, s. 17(1)(b)) |
| Privacy breaches | Notification is mandatory; the incident register applies this jurisdiction's threshold, notices and time limits. |
Loaded for this Act
- 30 provisions (exemptions, exceptions and exclusions) ready to cite on a redaction, each with its section number.
- Request types: Official information request to a local authority (LGOIMA s. 10).
- Statutory steps on the timeline: Extension under s. 14 — reasonable period, no fixed maximum; notice within 20 working days of receipt (s. 14(3)); Request transferred under s. 12 (promptly, within 10 working days of receipt); Request amended or clarified — may be treated as a new request replacing the original (s. 13(7); not if the local authority sought it more than 7 working days after receipt, s. 13(8)); Consultation with affected parties or another body (practice; no statutory notice — s. 13(6) permits consultation, s. 14(1)(b) allows an extension for it); Charge fixed under s. 13(1A)–(4) (within any prescribed amount, otherwise reasonable; all or part may be required in advance; amounts in NZD); Urgency requested by the requester with reasons (s. 10(3)); Ombudsman investigation and review on complaint (Part 5, s. 27); Complaint to the Privacy Commissioner (Privacy Act 2020, Part 5, ss. 70–73).
Checked against the published text on 2026-10-03. New Zealand Legislation — Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (1987 No 174), latest version as at 6 June 2026 · New Zealand Legislation — Privacy Act 2020 (2020 No 31), latest version as at 1 May 2026 · New Zealand Legislation — Ombudsmen Act 1975 (1975 No 9), s. 17, latest version as at 4 September 2026
Legislation-to-feature matrix
| Legislative requirement | Axcess1 support |
|---|---|
| Statutory deadline | 20 working days (OIA s. 15(1); Privacy Act 2020 ss. 44(1), 63(1)): calculated automatically for each request; overdue and upcoming requests on the dashboard. |
| Extensions and holds | Recorded as events that move the due date, each tied to its section of the Act. |
| Exemptions and exclusions | The provisions of OIA and Privacy Act and LGOIMA in the redaction editor, each with its section number. |
| Third parties and consultations | Notices, consultation packages and their due dates tracked on the request. |
| Fees | Fee notices and payments recorded on the request. |
| Reviews, appeals and complaints | Recorded on the request timeline with their dates and outcome. |
| Redaction | Done by the analyst in the built-in editor; optional AI suggestions that the analyst accepts or rejects. |
| Decision letters | Generated from templates for this Act, with the provisions cited. |
| Release | A release package built from the reviewed records; redactions are permanent in the released file. |
| Annual statistics | Annual access statistics for the period, with each figure traceable to its requests. |
| Audit trail | Every action on a request is recorded with the user and the time. |
From request to release
1Receive and validate
The request is entered with its type, requester and date received; a number is issued from your own numbering pattern.
2Calculate the deadline
The due date follows the Act: 20 working days (OIA s. 15(1); Privacy Act 2020 ss. 44(1), 63(1)). Holds and extensions move it and are recorded.
3Assign and search
The request is assigned to an officer; the units holding records are tasked and their answers tracked.
4Collect and review
Records are uploaded (PDF, Office files, scans with text recognition) and reviewed page by page.
5Apply the provisions and redact
The analyst marks a passage and picks the provision of this Act; the released copy shows the section relied on.
6Consult
Consultation packages are produced per party, with their due dates.
7Approve
The response goes to the approver's inbox for review and signature.
8Release
The release package and the decision letter are generated from the request.
9Report
Requests, processing times, decisions and provisions invoked are counted for the period you choose.
Agentic AI across the lifecycle
AI is switched off until your administrator turns it on, one capability at a time. AI assists. Authorized officials decide.
Intake agent
Proposes a new request from a message, the portal or a drop folder; an officer confirms it.
Document intelligence
Summarizes and classifies the records and finds the people and organizations named in them.
Responsiveness agent
Suggests which records answer the request.
Exemption assist
Proposes provisions of OIA with reasons; redaction candidates appear in the editor.
Consultation agent
Suggests who should be consulted and on which pages.
Quality assurance agent
Checks a package a second time before release.
Deadline watch
Lists the requests at risk of running late.
Copilot
Answers questions about a request, citing the records it used.
Migration
Case history, requesters and documents are brought over from the system you use today, so you do not start from an empty database.
Deployment
Hosted by SoftSim in Canada, on your own private cloud or servers, or standalone on a PC or Mac.
Security
Each organization's records are separate, access is controlled by role and every action is recorded. Run on your own servers, your records never leave your premises.
Try it free for 30 days
One licence, the full product, no obligation. Or see it first in a 30-minute demonstration.
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Axcess1 supports configurable workflows designed around the applicable legislation. Government organizations remain responsible for legal interpretation and statutory decisions. Summaries of the legislation are paraphrases prepared from the published text; they are not legal advice.