50 Victoria Street
Private Bag 6995
Wellington 6141
New Zealand
T 64 4 894 5400
F 64 4 894 6100
17 September 2019
www.nzta.govt.nz
Colleen Bain
[FYI request #10995 email]
REF: OIA-5638
Dear Colleen
Extending the time to respond to your request made under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your email of 16 August 2019 to the Minister of Transport, Hon Phil Twyford requesting
the following information under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
1.Please provide the following:
(a)All information provided to you in relation to the recent decision to remove the Bayfair underpass
from the scope of the Baylink project including but not limited to any change requests, memos, reports,
and background documents (or equivalent) on which the decision was based; (b)All information on
which the information requested in 1(a) was based including but not limited to any risk and/or impact
assessments in relation to the risk and impact on the surrounding community and the impact on traffic
flows from pedestrians and cyclists crossing Maunganui Road at ground level, the impact of the
decision on NZTA’s focus on creating accessible ‘liveable communities’, alternatives that were
considered other than removing the underpass from the project, reports, background documents,
correspondence and other communications which informed the information in 1(a); and (c)All
information provided to decision-makers in relation to the 2018 decision to retain the Bayfair
underpass from the Baylink project including but not limited to any change requests, memos, reports,
and background documents (or equivalent) on which the decision was based.
2.As the underpass is due to be closed within a weeks, and the decision has only recently been made
public, I request the information be provided as a matter of urgency under s12(3) OIA.
3.I note that as the decision referred to in 1(a) was made so recently, this information should be
available almost immediately and the information in 1(b) should also be readily available. I am happy
to receive the information in tranches for the sake of urgency.”
Parts 1(b) and (c) of your request were transferred to the NZ Transport Agency for response on 21
August 2019.
As the Transport Agency needs to consult others before we can decide how to respond to your request,
it is extending the 20 working days available to us. This is allowed for under section 15A of the Act.
This letter is to advise you we require 6 more working days to provide the documentation requested
and will send you our response on or before 25 September 2019.
Under section 28 of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review my decision to extend
the time we will take to respond to your request. You can find the contact details for the Ombudsman
at: www.ombudsman.parliament.nz
If you would like to discuss the extension with the Transport Agency, please send an email to
[email address]
Yours sincerely
Leisa Coley
Manager Ministerial Services
