Henare Peeni; Tolley AnneOMBUDSMEN (PROTECTION OF NAME) AMENDMENT BILLFirst ReadingHon PEENI HENARE (Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector) on behalf of the Minister of Justice: Tēnā koe Madam Deputy Speaker. I move That the Ombudsmen (Protection of Name) Amendment Bill be now read a first time.The purpose of this bill is to uphold public confidence in the role of the parliamentary Ombudsmen. The Ombudsmen hold a unique constitutional role in Aotearoa New Zealand. As Officers of Parliament they are statutorily independent and provide accessible and impartial review of complaints. They uphold the rights of individuals to have grievances against the executive both local and national independently examined and concluded.I believe it is important to ensure that this significant role is not undermined by confusion over which entities are using the name ombudsman" in New Zealand. The use of the name "ombudsman" is currently protected under the Ombudsmen Act 1975 but not absolutely prohibited. Entities wishing to use the name "ombudsman" can seek the permission of the Chief Ombudsman. Currently it also includes a savings provision in respect of the private sector entity Financial Services Complaints Ltd. If the application that Financial Services Complaints Ltd has made under the current Act is approved by the Chief Ombudsman it will also be able to use the name "ombudsman" in accordance with that permission. There is precedent elsewhere for protecting the use of certain words and names such as "Anzac" in order to maintain public confidence and trust in what the word attaches to.The amendments we are proposing in this bill will help signify the uniqueness of the Office of the parliamentary Ombudsmen. In turn this will uphold public confidence in an understanding of their role. Prohibition of use of the name "ombudsman" is necessary to prevent the risk of proliferation of the name by other disputes resolution bodies while preserving clarity and protecting the integrity and value of the parliamentary Ombudsmen.Public inquiries to the Office of the Ombudsmen indicate that the current use of the name by both the parliamentary Ombudsmen and private sector bodies has already led to confusion about the status and role of an ombudsman. This bill will protect the use of the name "ombudsman" by restricting its use to a parliamentary Ombudsman appointed under the Ombudsmen Act 1975 or a person appointed to a position established by the Chief Ombudsman such as that of Assistant Ombudsman or Deputy Ombudsman or any public sector department or organisation approved by the Minister of Justice.The bill includes a savings provision which I have already mentioned which currently has permission from the Chief Ombudsman to use the name "ombudsman." At the appropriate time I will move that the bill be referred to the Governance and Administration Committee. The select committee process is very important. I encourage members of the public to have their say on the bill when the committee calls for submissions. I nominate the Governance and Administration Committee to consider this bill. It is with great pleasure that I commend this bill to the House.DEPUTY SPEAKER: I call Chris Penk."