BackPeter Boshier elected as Second Vice President of the International Ombudsman Institute
The Chief Ombudsman was in March elected as Second Vice President of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI). Mr Boshier has served on the board of the IOI, a global organisation made up of more than 200 independent ombudsman institutions from more than 100 countries, since 2016. The Ombudsman New Zealand has been a part of the IOI since its inception in 1978. Mr Boshier was selected based on the commitment he has shown to the IOI is his role as Regional President of the Australasia and Pacific Region of the IOI and the contributions he has made to the IOI UN Working Group, both of which have supported the IOI to become an internationally recognised organisation.
Third report highlights overrepresentation of Māori in mental health seclusion
Peter Boshier highlighted for the third time in less than a year the overrepresentation of Māori in mental health seclusion. In his report published on 2 May, Mr Boshier highlighted a number of troubling issues at the unit, including the overrepresentation of Māori patients in seclusion events. Mr Boshier has published reports of follow-up visits to Te Toki Maurere in Whakatāne and Te Whare Maiangiangi in Tauranga in July and August last year. Both are mental health inpatient units run by Bay of Plenty District Health Board. Concerns around seclusion practices were reported for both facilities.
OPCAT report: Thematic report on inspections of secure intellectual disability facilities
A report summarising the Chief Ombudsman’s observations and recommendations of a sample of secure intellectual disability residences in New Zealand has been published. Peter Boshier conducted inspections of 17 secure intellectual disability residences across six services under the Crimes of Torture Act 1989. Inspections began in August 2019 and ended in June 2020, interrupted by the national response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Source: Office of the Ombudsman, New Zealand
