3 August 2020
Ryan Potts
By email: fyi‐request‐13173‐[email address]
File No: DOIA 1920‐1819
Dear Ryan Potts
Thank you for your email of 28 June 2020, requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the OIA):
A copy of advice received by Immigration New Zealand concerning the availability of New
Zealanders to work in the dairy sector over the past 6 months.
Thank you for clarifying your request on 6 July 2020, confirming that you were requesting the
relevant Skills Match Reports received by Immigration New Zealand from Work and Income, that
concern the availability of New Zealanders to work in the dairy sector over the past 6 months.
Our response
Immigration New Zealand received 5,424 emails containing Skills Match Reports from Work and
Income (Ministry of Social Development) from January to June 2020. We conducted a search of the
mailbox containing these emails and identified 1,918 emails which may contain Skills Match Reports
relating to job positions in the dairy sector. However, in order to confirm which Skills Match Reports
relate to job positions in the dairy sector, we would have to manually check each of the 1,918 emails
and the corresponding attachments and then collate the relevant results. I am therefore refusing
your request under section 18(f) of the OIA because the information requested cannot be made
available without substantial collation.
In accordance with section 18B of the Act I have considered whether consulting with you would
enable you to make the request in a form that would result in the release of information, however I
do not consider that it would.
I have also considered whether charging or extending the timeframe for responding to your request
would help, as required by section 18A of the OIA, however I do not consider that it would.
We haven’t transferred your request to the Ministry of Social Development as you asked for
information received by Immigration New Zealand, however you may wish to approach the Ministry
of Social Development directly, as they may hold the information you are seeking in a more
reportable format.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, please contact Anna McLachlan,
Business Advisor, Operations Support, Immigration New Zealand at [email address].
Yours sincerely
Nicola Hogg
General Manager
Border and Visa Operations
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
