7 September 2020
45 Pipitea Street, Wellington 6011
Phone +64 4 495 7200
John Luke
dia.govt.nz
fyi-request-13490-
[email address]
Dear John
OIA request 20/21 0096 Request for information on Community Organisation Grants Scheme
(COGS) Local Distribution Committees (LDC)
Thank you for your Official Information Act (Act) request received by the Department of Internal
Affairs (Department) on 10 August 2020.
You requested –
•
All the name of current member of these 37 local distribution committees and their term
of appointment. If possible, their bio as well.
•
Their job description and pay rate. What is your selection process of finding these
member from the public and how can public apply for these positions. When you plan to
call for nomination in the future.
The names of all current LDC members can be found on the Community Matters website here:
www.communitymatters.govt.nz. In the ‘Ask us’ search field you will need to enter ‘LDC
committee members’ and then select the first option that comes up titled ‘Who are the
committee members of the regional COGS Local Distribution Committees?’. The portion of your
request relating to the names of all LDC members is therefore refused pursuant to section 18(d)
of the Act; that the information requested is or will soon be publicly available.
There are no job descriptions or pay rates for LDC members. This is because these are roles
where members of the community volunteer, and anything that is paid for is to cover expenses,
as opposed to a job for which they are remunerated. Expenses may include travel, telephone
and childcare or dependent-care expenses a member incurs while doing LDC work, including
attending meetings. The portion
of your request relating to job descriptions and pay rates is
therefore refused pursuant to section 18(e) of the Act; that the document alleged to contain the
information requested does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be
found.
The role, however, does involve consulting with the community to determine local priorities,
assessing funding applications, attending regular meetings, contributing to group decision-
making on funding applications, and communicating with the National COGS committee. In case
it is of use to you, please find a list of responsibilities for COGS LDC members attached alongside
this letter marked ‘Appendix A’.
Members of the public can apply to become a COGS LDC member using the COGS LDC
nomination form. Please note, this form is only available on the Community Matters website at
the time nominations can be made. A copy of the form used for the last election round in 2019
is attached alongside this letter for your reference.
All nominations must be supported by an eligible community organisation. Eligible community
organisations are automatically registered to nominate and vote in LDC elections. If an
organisation did not request funding from the most recent COGS funding round, the
organisation can still take part in the election process if it has been in existence for six months
or more, and if it operates and provides services within the COGS LDC area.
The highest polling nominees will then be elected to the LDC. If there is a tied vote, the outcome
will be decided using standard methods such as tossing a coin or drawing straws. The decision
will be made in the presence of the two scrutineers. Where the number of nominees received is
less than or equal to the number of seats on the ward or LDC, no election will take place. All the
nominees will be confirmed LDC members and any vacancies will be filled by co-option.
LDC members represent the community for a three-year term and may serve a maximum of two
full terms. At this stage, the next election round is expected to be in October 2022. More
information will be available on the Community Matters website closer to the time.
Lastly, as there are approximately 330 members, the Department considers collating all the
biographies to be substantial, and is therefore refusing this portion of your request pursuant to
section 18(f) of the Act; that the information requested cannot be made available without
substantial collation or research.
If there are specific members whose biographies you are interested in, you may submit a
request for this information directly through to
[email address]. Please
note that not all members will have biographies, as those who were elected by co-option are
not required to submit one.
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.
Yours sincerely
Tiffany Scott
Manager Branch Development and Support
Service Delivery and Operations
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