Changes to gender recording and self-id
Jan Rivers made this Official Information request to Ministry of Social Development
The request was partially successful.
From: Jan Rivers
Dear Ministry of Social Development,
In note that on December 3rd Gender identity changes as well as gender self-id were notified on the MSD website as follows:
From December 2019, Map has been updated with gender inclusive language and avoids using gender based rules where appropriate.
When an external agency is providing services to a specific population based on gender or sex, the provider will determine the specific entry criteria.
Forms and online applications have also been updated with 3 gender options for people to choose from, male, female, and gender diverse.
I also note that the Gender Minorities Aotearoa website is reporting that these changes flow through to the Student Loans system. Their web-page states "Thanks in part to the activism and political advocacy of a number of individual trans people and some community organisations, the Ministry of Social Development has carried out community consultation and added a ‘gender diverse’ option to their systems."
Please can you advise:
Which organisations lobbied for this and over what time period.
Which community organisations and individuals were consulted and over what time period?
Please provide a copy of any meeting minutes, notes and reports arising from meetings with community groups and communications to MSD advocating these changes as well as subsequent policy papers and impact assessments(see also below).
What public notification occurred prior to and during this consultation including notifications to the MSD website or the govt.nz consultation :Have your say" website or through social media or newsletters.
Please advise how the consultation process ensured that the policy framework mandated for use by public sector organisations by the Deparment of the Prime Minister and Cabinet since July 2019 https://dpmc.govt.nz/our-programmes/poli... ensured that diverse perspectives were included, ensured that advice was free and frank, mitigated risks, reveals diverse views and explains how the changes will be monitored and evaluated. In particular I would like to know what consideration, if any, was given to including the voices of those who might raise concerns about embedding gender identity in the Social Welfare system.
Please provide with the impact assessment that was carried out including issues related, but not limited to for example:
- the impacts on student accommodation,
-statistical record keeping for sex equity issues
-the approach taken to maintaining gender (feeling) as well as sex (biology) related to an individual in MSD's records ie will the system in future occlude the relationship between sex and gender contrary to the approach taken by Statistics NZ.
-the cost and impacts of the flow through of this decision to other government departments eg IRD, Stats NZ. ACC and the associated costs across government of this decision.
-the costs to and impacts on third sector organisation in redesigning systems to account for this change and
-the ability of such services to continue to provide clients with services to women that maintain their privacy, safety and dignity in line with the Human Rights Act provisions which support sex-based protections
Yours faithfully,
Jan Rivers
From: OIA_Requests (MSD)
Ministry of Social Development
Tēnā koe Jan Rivers
Thank you for your email received 11 December 2019, under the Official
Information Act 1982. Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate
officials at National Office to respond. You may expect a decision
regarding your request to be sent to you as soon as possible.
Nā mātou noa, nā
Official and Parliamentary Information team | Ministerial and
Executive Services
Ministry of Social Development
Our Purpose:
We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent
Manaaki Tangata, Manaaki Whānau
------------------------------- This email and any attachments may contain
information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you
are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or
duplication of this email and attachments is prohibited. If you have
received this email in error please notify the author immediately and
erase all copies of the email and attachments. The Ministry of Social
Development accepts no responsibility for changes made to this message or
attachments after transmission from the Ministry.
-------------------------------
From: OIA_Requests (MSD)
Ministry of Social Development
Tēnā koe Jan Rivers
Please find a letter advising of the need to extend the time available to
make a decision on your OIA request until 21 February 2020.
We will respond to your request as soon as possible.
Nā mātou noa, nā
Official and Parliamentary Information team | Ministerial and
Executive Services
Ministry of Social Development
Our Purpose:
We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent.
Manaaki Tangata, Manaaki Whānau.
------------------------------- This email and any attachments may contain
information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you
are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or
duplication of this email and attachments is prohibited. If you have
received this email in error please notify the author immediately and
erase all copies of the email and attachments. The Ministry of Social
Development accepts no responsibility for changes made to this message or
attachments after transmission from the Ministry.
-------------------------------
From: OIA_Requests (MSD)
Ministry of Social Development
Tēnā koe Jan Rivers
On 11 December 2019 you emailed the Ministry requesting, under the
Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), information regarding the
Ministry changes to reporting on gender to include those of diverse
genders.
The Ministry has decided to grant your request in part, however, it will
take some time to prepare this information for release. Some information
will be withheld in accordance with the Act.
The information will be provided to you as soon as possible, and no later
than 27 March 2020.
If you wish to discuss this decision with us, please feel free to contact
[1][MSD request email].
If you are not satisfied with this decision, you have the right to seek an
investigation and review by the Ombudsman. Information about how to make a
complaint is available at [2]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or 0800 802 602.
Nā mātou noa, nā
Official and Parliamentary Information team | Ministerial and
Executive Services
Ministry of Social Development
Our Purpose:
We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent.
Manaaki Tangata, Manaaki Whānau.
------------------------------- This email and any attachments may contain
information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you
are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or
duplication of this email and attachments is prohibited. If you have
received this email in error please notify the author immediately and
erase all copies of the email and attachments. The Ministry of Social
Development accepts no responsibility for changes made to this message or
attachments after transmission from the Ministry.
-------------------------------
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[MSD request email]
2. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
From: OIA_Requests (MSD)
Ministry of Social Development
Tçnâ koe Jan Rivers,
Please find attached the Ministry’s response to your Official Information
Act request.
Nâ mâtou noa, nâ
Official and Parliamentary Information team | Ministerial and
Executive Services
Ministry of Social Development
Our Purpose:
We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent.
Manaaki Tangata, Manaaki Whânau.
------------------------------- This email and any attachments may contain
information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you
are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or
duplication of this email and attachments is prohibited. If you have
received this email in error please notify the author immediately and
erase all copies of the email and attachments. The Ministry of Social
Development accepts no responsibility for changes made to this message or
attachments after transmission from the Ministry.
-------------------------------
Things to do with this request
- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence
Offensive? Unsuitable?
Requests for personal information and vexatious requests are not considered valid requests for Official Information (read more).
If you believe this request is not suitable, you can report it for attention by the site administrators
Report this request