Australian and New Zealand Meet in Wellington

100 Ombudsmen and staff will come together in Wellington this week for the biennial conference of the Australian and New Zealand Ombudsman Association. With a theme of 'Checks and Balances', the ANZOA conference will focus on six benchmarks—accessibility, independence, fairness, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness.

''These benchmarks are the non-negotiable basics for an Ombudsman office,'' says ANZOA Chair Judi Jones, Australia's Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman and formerly New Zealand's Electricity & Gas Complaints Commissioner. ''They are also principles that apply to many other roles and offices with a 'public good' focus.'' ANZOA's conference runs from Monday 21 May to Wednesday 23 May at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. (ANZOA Conf Info; Press Release.)