Dear Colleagues The New Zealand Office of the Ombudsmen welcomes you to the 10th World Conference of the International Ombudsman Institute being held in Wellington from 12 – 16 November 2012. The IOI World Conference is a forum for Ombudsmen, or their equivalent, from around the world to meet to share their experience and expertise.  Such an opportunity is particularly important at this time when public entities’ governance and administration arrangements worldwide are undergoing fundamental change, and where challenges to the Ombudsman’s role – political, social, economic and technological - mean that we have to review the way we do our work and how we may best ensure procedural fairness and administrative justice for all citizens. Together with my colleague Ombudsman, Dr David McGee CNZM, and our staff, I look forward to engaging with you in debate and discussion and the prospect of a rich and diverse programme of topics and speakers providing a challenging assessment of the issues facing Ombudsmen everywhere. There will, of course, also be time for us to get to know one another better and to enjoy the unique New Zealand experience. With warm good wishes Dame Beverley A Wakem DNZM CBE Chief Ombudsman of New Zealand President of the IOI