Chief Ombudsman Judge Peter Boshier has written to the Solicitor-General asking that the Attorney-General David Parker consider issuing enforcement proceedings against the council.

The Ombudsman is calling on the country's top law officer, the Attorney-General, to launch enforcement proceedings against the Christchurch City Council over its continued refusal to release the cost of a touch wall in its new library.

Despite the instructions of the Ombudsman more than a month ago, the council is still to make the cost public.

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier​ said he was disappointed the council had failed to release the cost within the timeframe required under the law.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel is on doctor's orders to take at least two days off work after she was concussed in a fall.

"My role as a watchdog for Parliament is to make sure official information law is not undermined by agencies ignoring their public duty when it arises. I take any breach of public duty extremely seriously. I do not have enforcement powers myself so I am referring the case to the Solicitor-General."

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He said he has written asking that the Attorney-General, David Parker, consider issuing enforcement proceedings against the council.

CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL The Christchurch City Council has refused to release the cost of a new touch wall, similar to this one, being installed in the new central city library.

The supplier of the wall, Gibson Group, said it did not want the cost of the wall released because it would prejudice its commercial position. Gibson Group was in negotiations to provide its wall to several United States-based businesses and there was a concern those businesses would demand the product at the same cost.

Ombudsman Leo Donnelly told the council on May 31 it should make public the cost of the digital and touch walls at the new library Tūranga, after it declined the Taxpayers' Union's request for the information. The council had up to 21 working days after the date of the recommendation to consider whether to do so or not.

﻿The 7-metre-wide, touch-sensitive wall will provide a digital representation of Christchurch and the city's history.

STACY SQUIRES/STUFF Christchurch's new Central Library Tūranga, which is set to open in a few months will feature New Zealand's biggest interactive touch wall, but the council will not release the cost of the screen.

﻿Boshier said the original requester had a right to bring personal proceedings in the High Court.

A council spokeswoman said on Wednesday the council had not received any information from the chief ombudsman about referring the case to the Solicitor-General and it would be inappropriate to comment.

Earlier on Wednesday, the council said it had responded to the Ombudsman's opinion, but it would not disclose what its response was.

The Ombudsman investigated complaints about the refusal of requests for information and recommended release when it determined a refusal was unjustified.

Boshier said under the law, a local authority has 21 working days to follow the recommendation or alternatively must meet to reject the recommendation by way of a formal resolution issued in writing.

If neither of these steps were followed within this timeframe, a local authority had a public duty to release the information.

Previous ombudsmen have taken this step before, but it happened rarely because most agencies complied with their obligations under the Act, the Ombudsman's office said.

Jordan Williams, executive director of the Taxpayers' Union, said: "This is a brazen lack of transparency under a mayor who as an MP used to talk about the importance of transparency, especially as it goes to ratepayer money".

The Ombudsman's decision was excellent, he said.

"We [the Taxpayers' Union] are the heaviest user of freedom of information law in New Zealand and we have never seen such a damning decision against a council.

"We have sought legal advice and are thinking very seriously about issuing proceedings, regardless of the Attorney-General's decision."

Legal avenues available to the Attorney-General are thought to involve the launch of judicial review proceedings.

Williams said in his view: "The easy way to fix this is for [Christchurch Mayor] Lianne Dalziel to stop breaking the law and release the information."

Dalziel has not spoken to media about the touch wall cost, but a council spokeswoman earlier said the decision sat with the staff project team and was within the library budget.

- Additional reporting by Dominic Harris