WellingtonNZ CEO John Allen recommended as new Ombudsman
Tuesday, 21 January 2025
John Allen, Victoria University of Wellington chancellor and chief executive of WellingtonNZ, has been recommended by Parliament to take over as the new Chief Ombudsman.
The Governor-General then makes the appointment on the recommendation of Parliament.
The report from the Officers of Parliament Committee, which makes the recommendation of who to appoint, said it “sought and obtained the support of political parties represented in the House for Mr Allen’s appointment”.
The committee is make up of MPs from across Parliament, chaired by Speaker Gerry Brownlee. “In light of this support, we resolved to recommend John Richard Allen for appointment as an Ombudsman and to undertake the role of Chief Ombudsman,” the report said.
Allen was previously chief executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NZ Post. He has also served on the boards of Te Papa and the New Zealand Festival.
As it has not yet been confirmed by the Governor-General, Allen is not commenting on the recommendation.
Allen, a Wellingtonian for 40 years, wrote in an opinion piece in 2024, “The next few years are going to be tough, not just for Wellington but for the world”.
“To get through them and make real progress as a city, we need to be realistic, prioritise rigorously, focus on implementation and take deliberate steps in affordable bites to future-proof this extraordinary place.”
The Ombudsman deals with complaints about public sector agencies and official information, and performs a range of tasks including last year looking into large scale changes required at Oranga Tamariki. It also checks on the conditions at detention locations where people cannot leave such as prisons and courts.
Previous Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier retired early, due to the law forbidding him to carry on past 72. Boshier, who first took the top role at the Government watchdog in 2015, was reappointed in 2020 for another five year term.
Early last year, Boshier advised the Speaker of his resignation, as, “the law is that I must resign from office upon reaching the age of 72 (which is on March 16)”.
Boshier said he would continue to serve in the role while Parliament found a new Chief Ombudsman.