133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000
Barry Garrick
By email:
[FYI request #12311 email]
Ref:
H202000892
Dear Mr Barry Garrick
Response to your request for official information
Thank you for your request of 25 February 2020 to the Ministry of Health (the Ministry) under
the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) for:
“1. In this update - https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/news-items/laura-
fergusson-trust-update
It says that "In late October the Laura Fergusson Trust notified the Ministry of Health
and other funders that it intended to exit its $4.1m contract in August this year."
May I please request this correspondence exchange between the Ministry and the
Trust?
2. Also, the update says "Since November the Ministry has met with the Acting Chair,
CEO and Board to discuss options and has also offered specialist financial
assistance."
May I please request what specialist financial assistance was offered? Also any
meeting notes and recollections for or from those meetings?
3. And any briefings prepared for those meetings?
4. Can I please also request the correspondence where the Director-General of
Health offered to sit down with the Trust and any replies to that?“
On 24 March 2020, the due date for responding to your request was extended under section
15A of the Act, as further consultation was required.
There was no correspondence between the Ministry and the Laura Fergusson Trust relating
to the initial notification you refer to in your request. This notification occurred by phone call
on 24 October 2019. Similarly, no briefings were prepared for the meetings mentioned in
your request. As such, I am unable to provide you with any information in response to parts
1 and 3 of your request under section 18(e) of the Act.
Four documents have been identified within scope of parts 2 and 4 of your request. These
are itemised in Appendix 1 to this letter, and copies of the documents are enclosed. The
table in Appendix 1 also lists the grounds under which I have decided to withhold
information.
Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review any
decisions made under this request.
Please note that this response, with your personal details removed, may be published on the
Ministry website.
Yours sincerely
Adri Isbister
Deputy Director-General
Disability
Appendix 1: List of documents for release
#
Date
Title
Decision on release
1
7 November 2019
Phone call notes Laura
Released with some
Fergusson Trust and Ministry of
information withheld under
Health
section 9(2)(b)(ii) of the Act,
as the releasing of this
1.10 pm – 2 pm
information would be likely to
unreasonably prejudice the
commercial position of the
person who is the subject of
the information
2
11 November 2019 Meeting between Laura
Released with some
Fergusson Trust and the Ministry information withheld under
of Health
section 9(2)(b)(ii) of the Act,
as the releasing of this
information would be likely to
unreasonably prejudice the
commercial position of the
person who is the subject of
the information
3
28 November 2019 Re: Ashley to meet with Laura
Released with some
Fergusson Board
information withheld under
section 9(2)(a) of the Act, to
2:15 pm
protect the privacy of natural
persons
4
2 December 2019
Re: Ashley to meet with Laura
Released with some
Fergusson Board
information withheld under
section 9(2)(a) of the Act, to
5:28 pm
protect the privacy of natural
persons