(1) Any person, being—
(a) a New Zealand citizen; or
(b) a permanent resident of New Zealand; or
(c) a person who is in New Zealand; or
(d) a body corporate which is incorporated in New Zealand; or
(e) a body corporate which is incorporated outside New Zealand but which has a place of business in New Zealand,—
may request a department or Minister of the Crown or organisation to make available to him or it any specified official information.
(1A) Notwithstanding subsection (1), a request made, on or after the date of commencement of this subsection, by or on behalf of a natural person for access to any personal information which is about that person shall be deemed to be a request made pursuant to subclause (1)(b) of principle 6 of the Privacy Act 1993, and shall be dealt with accordingly, and nothing in this Part or in Part 5 shall apply in relation to any such request.
(2) The official information requested shall be specified with due particularity in the request.
(3) If the person making the request asks that his request be treated as urgent, he shall give his reasons for seeking the information urgently.
Section 12(1): replaced, on 1 April 1987, by section 6 of the Official Information Amendment Act 1987 (1987 No 8).
Section 12(1A): inserted, on 1 July 1993, by section 3 of the Official Information Amendment Act 1993 (1993 No 36).