Advice regarding Mill Road as part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme.
Nicholas Lee made this Official Information request to Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
The request was partially successful.
From: Nicholas Lee
Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,
On 29 January 2020 the Prime Minister announced the $12 billion New Zealand Upgrade Programme, which includes $1.354 billion to build a 21.5km, four-lane road corridor from Manukau to Drury, running parallel to State Highway 1 (Mill Road).
In accordance with s 12 of the Official Information Act 1982, please provide any information, reports or advice considered by the Government, in deciding to fund and build Mill Road, in respect of:
1. The increased greenhouse gas emissions that will result from the construction and operation of Mill Road;
2. How Mill Road will impact New Zealand’s ability to meet the 2050 target for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions under s 5Q of the Climate Change Response Act 2002;
3. How Mill Road will impact New Zealand’s ability to meet its international obligations in respect of climate change, including under the Paris Agreement;
4. Whether and how Mill Road will give effect to the Government’s objectives, recorded in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2018, of:
a) reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport; and
b) increasing mode shift from private vehicle trips to walking, cycling and public transport;
5. Whether and how Mill Road will give effect to the Government’s road safety strategy and plan, Road to Zero, adopted in December 2019; and
6. The views of Auckland Council, including Auckland Council’s declaration of a climate emergency on 11 June 2019.
Please provide this information as soon as possible and in any event within 20 working days.
Yours faithfully,
Nicholas Lee
From: Nicholas Lee
Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,
Please confirm that you have received this request.
Yours faithfully,
Nicholas Lee
From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Tēnā koe
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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
[UNCLASSIFIED]
Kia ora Nicholas
Thank you for your Official Information Act request, requesting as
follows:
“On 29 January 2020 the Prime Minister announced the $12 billion New
Zealand Upgrade Programme, which includes $1.354 billion to build a
21.5km, four-lane road corridor from Manukau to Drury, running parallel to
State Highway 1 (Mill Road).
In accordance with s 12 of the Official Information Act 1982, please
provide any information, reports or advice considered by the Government,
in deciding to fund and build Mill Road, in respect of:
1. The increased greenhouse gas emissions that will result from the
construction and operation of Mill Road;
2. How Mill Road will impact New Zealand’s ability to meet the 2050 target
for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions under s 5Q of the Climate
Change Response Act 2002;
3. How Mill Road will impact New Zealand’s ability to meet its
international obligations in respect of climate change, including under
the Paris Agreement;
4. Whether and how Mill Road will give effect to the Government’s
objectives, recorded in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport
2018, of:
a) reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport; and
b) increasing mode shift from private vehicle trips to walking, cycling
and public transport;
5. Whether and how Mill Road will give effect to the Government’s road
safety strategy and plan, Road to Zero, adopted in December 2019; and
6. The views of Auckland Council, including Auckland Council’s declaration
of a climate emergency on 11 June 2019. We identified today that due to an
IT error, DPMC has not received any emails from the fyi.org.nz website
from November 2020 to date. We apologise for the inconvenience this has
caused and the delay in receiving your request.”
As we did not receive the request until today 15 January 2021, we will
consider today the first working day under the Act. We will provide a
response in accordance with the Act in due course and will endeavour to
process as quickly as possible. Please note that under the Act, the
working days to respond to requests do not include 25 December through to
15 January, to account for the summer break. (please see the Office of
the Ombudsman Website for more details -
[1]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/).
DPMC may publish the response to your Official Information Act request.
When you are provided with a response to this request, you will be
informed about whether the response to your OIA request will be published.
If DPMC does publish the response to your OIA request, personal
information, including your name and contact details, will be removed.
This publication process does not apply to extension letters or transfers.
Ngâ mihi
Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E [2][DPMC request email]
[3]cid:image002.png@01D43609.296F69C0
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.
show quoted sections
From: Nicholas Lee
Dear Information [DPMC],
Can you confirm why the initial email on the 8th December was not received?
Yours sincerely,
Nicholas Lee
From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Apologies Nicholas, I noticed an error in my message below. I have
corrected this.
Ngâ mihi
Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E [1][DPMC request email]
[2]cid:image002.png@01D43609.296F69C0
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.
From: Information [DPMC] <[DPMC request email]>
Sent: Friday, 15 January 2021 1:29 pm
To: Nicholas Lee <[FOI #14262 email]>
Subject: RE: Official Information request - Advice regarding Mill Road as
part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme.
[UNCLASSIFIED]
Kia ora Nicholas
Thank you for your Official Information Act request, requesting as
follows:
“On 29 January 2020 the Prime Minister announced the $12 billion New
Zealand Upgrade Programme, which includes $1.354 billion to build a
21.5km, four-lane road corridor from Manukau to Drury, running parallel to
State Highway 1 (Mill Road).
In accordance with s 12 of the Official Information Act 1982, please
provide any information, reports or advice considered by the Government,
in deciding to fund and build Mill Road, in respect of:
1. The increased greenhouse gas emissions that will result from the
construction and operation of Mill Road;
2. How Mill Road will impact New Zealand’s ability to meet the 2050 target
for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions under s 5Q of the Climate
Change Response Act 2002;
3. How Mill Road will impact New Zealand’s ability to meet its
international obligations in respect of climate change, including under
the Paris Agreement;
4. Whether and how Mill Road will give effect to the Government’s
objectives, recorded in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport
2018, of:
a) reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport; and
b) increasing mode shift from private vehicle trips to walking, cycling
and public transport;
5. Whether and how Mill Road will give effect to the Government’s road
safety strategy and plan, Road to Zero, adopted in December 2019; and
6. The views of Auckland Council, including Auckland Council’s declaration
of a climate emergency on 11 June 2019.”
We identified today that due to an IT error, DPMC has not received any
emails from the fyi.org.nz website from November 2020 to date. We
apologise for the inconvenience this has caused and the delay in receiving
your request.
As we did not receive the request until today 15 January 2021, we will
consider today the first working day under the Act. We will provide a
response in accordance with the Act in due course and will endeavour to
process as quickly as possible. Please note that under the Act, the
working days to respond to requests do not include 25 December through to
15 January, to account for the summer break. (please see the Office of
the Ombudsman Website for more details -
[3]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/).
DPMC may publish the response to your Official Information Act request.
When you are provided with a response to this request, you will be
informed about whether the response to your OIA request will be published.
If DPMC does publish the response to your OIA request, personal
information, including your name and contact details, will be removed.
This publication process does not apply to extension letters or transfers.
Ngâ mihi
Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E [4][DPMC request email]
[5]cid:image002.png@01D43609.296F69C0
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.
show quoted sections
From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Good afternoon Nicholas,
I am the Ministerial Advisor handling your official information request.
We identified today that due to an IT error, DPMC has not received any emails from the fyi.org.nz website from November 2020 to date. We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused and the delay in receiving your request.
Ngā mihi nui,
Tom Turnbull
Ministerial Advisor, Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
show quoted sections
From: Nicholas Lee
Dear Tom,
Thank you for your response.
The request was sent from the fyi.org.nz website on 8 December 2020 and received by DPMC’s systems on that day. In that context, I do not agree that it was not “received” until 15 January 2021.
In any case, given NZTA’s public indication that it intends to lodge a consent application for the southern section of the project in early 2021, please now treat the request as urgent, and provide the information sought within 10 working days, i.e. by Tuesday 2 February 2021.
I note that the request is relatively confined, and that any relevant information the Government relied upon in making the decision to fund the Mill Road project ought to be readily identifiable. Providing the information by 2 February 2021 should therefore be straightforward.
PS: Please confirm you have received this email.
Yours sincerely,
Nicholas Lee
From: Nicholas Lee
Dear Information [DPMC],
Please confirm you have received my updated request.
Yours sincerely,
Nicholas Lee
From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
[UNCLASSIFIED]
Kia ora Nicholas,
This email is to confirm that DPMC has received your correspondence from Monday evening.
Regards,
Tom
show quoted sections
From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Kia ora Felix,
On behalf of Sarah Corbett, Manager of Ministerial and Business Services, please find attached the transfer letter regarding your official information request from 15 January 2021.
Kind regards,
Ministerial Coordinator
show quoted sections
From: Nicholas Lee
Dear Sarah
The request is for information, reports and advice (relating to the specific matters identified in the request) that Cabinet considered in making the decision (announced on 29 January 2020) to fund and build Mill Road.
To the extent relevant reports and advice are held by the New Zealand Transport Agency or other agencies, I am content to receive copies from those agencies.
That will not fully resolve my request, however, which also seeks information about what members of Cabinet actually considered in making the funding decision. Regardless of whether other agencies hold relevant reports or advice, the question of what Cabinet considered is a matter that only Cabinet can answer.
I therefore require a specific response on behalf Cabinet. The response needs to address directly whether Cabinet gave specific consideration to any information, reports or advice in relation to the matters identified in the request. The response should also include any documents recording Cabinet’s reasons for the funding decision.
For the reasons previously given, please continue to treat the request as urgent, and provide the information (which I have been seeking since 8 December 2020) by no later than Friday 12 February 2021.
Yours sincerely
Nicholas Lee
From: Nicholas Lee
Dear Information [DPMC],
Please confirm you have received my email.
Yours sincerely,
Nicholas Lee
From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
[UNCLASSIFIED]
Tçnâ koe Nicholas,
Thank you for your email of 1 February 2021, copied below. Please note
that as you are now asking for information that was not captured in our
original transfer, we have decided to treat this as a new request. A
response will be provided in accordance with the Act by the Cabinet
Office.
Ngâ mihi,
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
[1]cid:image002.png@01D43609.296F69C0
show quoted sections
From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
[UNCLASSIFIED]
Tēnā koe Nicholas,
Please find attached a letter from Michael Webster, Secretary of the
Cabinet, regarding your official information request of 2 February 2021.
Nāku noa, nā
Ministerial Coordinator
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
[1]cid:image002.png@01D43609.296F69C0
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From: OCU
Tçnâ koe Nicolas,
On behalf of the Ministry of Transport, I acknowledge your Official
Information Act request which was partially transferred to us from the
Cabinet Office seeking:
“…any documents recording Cabinet’s reasons for funding the decision”
We will consider your request and respond appropriately as set out in the
Official Information Act 1982.
The Ministry publishes Official Information Act responses on our website
when there may be wider interest in the information released. This means
the information provided to you might be published after you have received
it.
Ngâ mihi,
Tristan
Tristan Culpan
Kaitohutohu Tuhinga Ôkawa - Official Correspondence Advisor
Te Kâhui Tangata – Corporate Services
Te Manatû Waka – Ministry of Transport
[1]www.transport.govt.nz
Enabling New Zealanders to flourish
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References
Visible links
1. http://www.transport.govt.nz/
From: Official Correspondence
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OIA 7598 Response.pdf
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OIA 7598 Attachment 1 12 December 2019.pdf
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Dear Nicholas
Please find attached the response to your request of 8 December 2020 to
the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet requesting information
under the Official Information Act 1982.
Regards
_________ ____________________________________________
Ministerial Services
Te Waka Kōtuia - Engagement & Partnerships
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
National Office / 50 Victoria Street
Private Bag 6995, Wellington 6141, New Zealand
show quoted sections
From: Tristan Culpan
Tçnâ koe Nicolas,
Further to our email below on 18 February 2021, we have determined that
the details of the Official Information request you have submitted fall
within the responsibilities of the Treasury. Therefore, I have forwarded
your request onto them for their consideration.
Ngâ mihi,
Tristan
Tristan Culpan
Kaitohutohu Tuhinga Ôkawa - Official Correspondence Advisor
Te Kâhui Tangata – Corporate Services
Te Manatû Waka – Ministry of Transport
[1]www.transport.govt.nz
Enabling New Zealanders to flourish
From: OCU
Sent: Thursday, 18 February 2021 4:00 PM
To: [FOI #14262 email]
Subject: OC210110 Official Information Act request: advice regarding Mill
Road as part of the NZUP
Tçnâ koe Nicolas,
On behalf of the Ministry of Transport, I acknowledge your Official
Information Act request which was partially transferred to us from the
Cabinet Office seeking:
“…any documents recording Cabinet’s reasons for funding the decision”
We will consider your request and respond appropriately as set out in the
Official Information Act 1982.
The Ministry publishes Official Information Act responses on our website
when there may be wider interest in the information released. This means
the information provided to you might be published after you have received
it.
Ngâ mihi,
Tristan
Tristan Culpan
Kaitohutohu Tuhinga Ôkawa - Official Correspondence Advisor
Te Kâhui Tangata – Corporate Services
Te Manatû Waka – Ministry of Transport
[2]www.transport.govt.nz
Enabling New Zealanders to flourish
show quoted sections
References
Visible links
1. http://www.transport.govt.nz/
2. http://www.transport.govt.nz/
From: Nicholas Lee
Dear Robyn Elston,
In "OIA 7598 Response.pdf" you say:
"The modelling indicates that while the project in isolation may contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions."
Please provide this modelling or information related to this statement for the Mill Road project.
Yours sincerely,
Nicholas Lee
From: Official Correspondence
Good morning Mr Lee,
Thank you for your further email of 5 March requesting further emissions
modelling information for the Mill Road Project.
We are confirming with the project team whether or not any further
information is held beyond what has already been released to you and will
be in touch with an update shortly.
Regards
_________ ____________________________________________
Ministerial Services
Te Waka Kōtuia - Engagement & Partnerships
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
Head Office / 50 Victoria Street
Private Bag 6995, Wellington 6141, New Zealand
_________ _____________________________________________
[1]Waka Kotahi logo[2][IMG][3][IMG][4][IMG]
From: Nicholas Lee <[5][FOI #14262 email]>
Sent: Friday, 5 March 2021 12:27 AM
To: Official Correspondence <[6][email address]>
Subject: Re: OIA-7598 RESPONSE
Dear Robyn Elston,
In "OIA 7598 Response.pdf" you say:
"The modelling indicates that while the project in isolation may
contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions."
Please provide this modelling or information related to this statement for
the Mill Road project.
Yours sincerely,
Nicholas Lee
show quoted sections
From: Official Correspondence
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OIA 7598 follow up response.pdf
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OIA 7598 follow up attachment.xlsm
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Dear Mr Lee
Please find attached response to your further request of 5 March 2021
under the Official Information Act 1982.
Regards
_________ ____________________________________________
Ministerial Services
Te Waka Kōtuia - Engagement & Partnerships
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
Head Office / 50 Victoria Street
Private Bag 6995, Wellington 6141, New Zealand
_________ _____________________________________________
[1]Waka Kotahi logo[2][IMG][3][IMG][4][IMG]
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From: Ministerial Services Inbox [TSY]
Dear Nicholas,
Please find attached a response to your Official Information Act request.
Regards,
Adam
Adam Antao | Ministerial Advisor | Te Tai Ôhanga – The Treasury
Email/IM: [1][email address]
Visit us online at [2]https://treasury.govt.nz/ and follow us on
[3]Twitter, [4]LinkedIn and [5]Instagram
[IN-CONFIDENCE]
Link: [6]File-List
Link: [7]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [8]themeData
Link: [9]colorSchemeMapping
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