25 August 2020 
 
Stefan 
Email: [FYI request #13244 email] 
 
 
Tēnā koe Stefan  
 
Substantial collation query 
 
In your email to New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) on 9 July 2020, you requested the 
following information about substantial collation relating to your OIA request:  
 
Exactly what substantial collation is required. How much information would need to be collated, what level of 
resourcing would be required, and how did you determine this? In what way would the collation of the 
information I requested impact on NZQA's day-to-day operations, and how would this substantially differ from 
the impact of other OIA requests? 
 
Collation is one factor NZQA is required to take into account when scoping an OIA request. 
In the case of your original request of 6 July 2020, NZQA’s initial estimation of what research and 
collation of “all information, documents, correspondence or any other information held in any form” 
would have required the following: 
•  a wide search across all years relevant to the request (2006 – 2020) with much of this 
having to be manually conducted 
•  manually accessing and searching multiple databases, records, publications and 
correspondence for both hardcopy and electronic records  
•  accessing NZQA’s off-site hard-copy and digital archives and manually searching through 
these  
•  bringing together all the information that might be relevant 
•  selecting in-scope material  
•  printing/scanning documents for on-line collation  
•  sorting hard copy and digital documents from multiple sources into an order – usually date 
order 
•  collating these into a single file for release. 
NZQA’s initial assessment on the information sought in your original request was that the level of 
work required, and the fact that there would possibly be substantial time involved, meant that this 
would impact on NZQA’s day-to-day operations. 
 
However, your decision to refine your request has meant that NZQA was able to reassess the level 
of work required to respond, and that the collation and research required has not impacted on 
NZQA’s day to day operations.  
 
Nāku nā 
 
 
Dr Grant Klinkum 
Pouwhakahaere/Chief Executive  
125 The Terrace. PO Box 160, Wel ington 6140, New Zealand  |  Tel. 64 4 463 3000   Fax 64 4 463 3112  | www.nzqa.govt.nz 

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