9 July 2020
Gerard Byrne
[FYI request #13109 email]
REF: OIA-6791
Dear Gerard
Request made under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your email
of 18 June 2020 requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
can you please supply a copy of NZTA internal policy about drinking alcohol at NZTA events and
can you please provide the details of all alcohol expenditure for NZTA in 2019 financial year.
An excerpt from the Sensitive Expenditure Policy (August 2019) relating to alcohol is outlined in the
below table.
Catering for meetings
• Transport Agency funds are not to be used for the purchase of alcohol.
Farewells and retirements •
Transport Agency funds are not to be used for the purchase of alcohol.
Functions and events
• The Transport Agency will subsidise each staff member to attend one
social club Christmas party.
• Other team events, including Christmas lunches, should be self-funded,
not paid for by the Transport Agency.
• If alcohol is consumed during the working day, employees should not
return to work and any additional time should be made up or taken as
annual leave.
Hospitality and
• When hosting guests or having meetings off-site with people who are
entertainment
official representatives of their organisations, there may be times when
it is appropriate for Transport Agency staff to pay for food or drink.
• Costs should be reasonable - generally no more than $15 per head.
• Alcoholic drinks must not be charged to the Transport Agency without
prior approval from the Chief Executive, and only in circumstances
where the Transport Agency has approved hospitality for external
stakeholders.
Work-related travel
Meals while travelling within New Zealand
expenditure
• When travelling for work it may be appropriate for the Transport Agency
to pay for the reasonable costs of meals and refreshments. For an
extended working day (eg more than 10 hours away) it may be
appropriate for the Transport Agency to pay for the reasonable costs of
an evening meal. When travelling overnight it may be appropriate for
the Transport Agency to pay for the cost of the evening meal and
breakfast/lunch the next day. Travellers should normally restrict the
costs of meals and refreshments to:
o up to $25 for breakfast
o up to $20 for lunch
o up to $50 for dinner.
• Any alcoholic drinks must be paid for by the traveller and are not to be
charged to the Transport Agency.
In-room entertainment and mini bars • In-room entertainment such as videos and DVDs and items purchased
from mini bars are considered personal expenditure and must not be
charged to the Transport Agency and will not be reimbursed.
I refuse your request for the details of all alcohol expenditure for Waka Kotahi in the 2019 financial
year under section 18(f) of the Act as the information requested cannot be made available without
substantial collation or research.
Waka Kotahi’s general ledger transactions do not have a specific code for alcohol – these
transactions are showing as “accommodation and meals”. The expenses are paid through either APX
travel, Mastercard, or by submitting a staff expenses claim. To identify whether any transaction
included alcohol would require Waka Kotahi to identify each employee’s transactions for
accommodation and meals, and then find and check each saved receipt for those transactions. We
consider that this would place an unreasonable administrative burden on Waka Kotahi.
Under section 28 of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review my decision to
refuse some information. The contact details for the Ombudsman can be located online at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
If you would like to discuss this reply with Waka Kotahi, please contact Katrina Leather, Manager
Employment Relations, by email to [email address].
Yours sincerely
Chris Lokum
General Manager People
