Ref: 2021-1917

 

Dear Satish,

 

On behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment I
acknowledge your email of 29^th March 2021 requesting under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following:

 

Could you please help me understand a couple of things?

1. Who does the INZ Manukau branch report to around the
weekly/Monthly/Daily (or whatever the frequency of reports going out)
around each week's SMC allocation and other statuses and work carried out
in the branch?. Please provide the copies of the Status reports (since Aug
20202 up to whenever you reply to these requests) and a list of all the
people and Ministers who are provided with these reports.

2. Are there any sorts of KPI (Key Performance Indicator) in place for
Case officers working on SMC/RFW applications?, if yes, please provide the
list against which they are assessed and promoted or put in re-training
(as they didn't perform well) if the answer to the question is no, then
why don't they any sorts of key performance indicator?.

3. If possible please provide what used to the Average caseload before
June 2018 of the COs working on SMC applications. I confirm I am in NZ
since April 2018 and eligible to make such requests.

 

Your request is being processed in accordance with the Act and a response
will be sent to you in due course.

 

If you have any enquiries regarding your request, or its urgency, feel
free to contact us via email at [1][MBIE request email].

 

Nāku noa, nā

MINISTERIAL SERVICES

               

Corporate, Governance and Information

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

Level 4, 15 Stout Street, PO Box 1473, Wellington 6140

NZBN 9429000106078

 

 

[2]www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
services

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References

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1. mailto:[MBIE request email]
2. http://www.govt.nz/

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Dear Satish,

 

This email is to acknowledge that INZ have received your Official
Information Act (OIA) requests below on 27^th March and 29^th March, as
well as your follow up queries on 24^th and 25^th March. We are currently
working through your multiple queries below and will provide a response
once we have collated all your queries, in order to provide you one
comprehensive response.

 

We appreciate this is a very difficult time for many applicants. Please
note that due to the current situation in New Zealand relating to
Covid-19, resource and capacity has been impacted by the agency working on
essential projects relating to the Covid-19 response. We will however
endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible, and within the specified
timeframe of your OIA requests.

 

DOIA 2021-1896 received 27 April:

1. “Could you please help me understand where the SMC queue allocation is
at the moment (particular day).

 

2. On 25th March 2021, Emma (Immigration Manager) from the INZ Manukau
branch has advised me that the queue will be on 1st Aug after the weekly
allocation (ending on 26th March 2021), whereas in one of the OIA request
(DOIA 2021-1635) MBIE had advised that as of 9th March the queue is in Aug
2019, so what dates of applications were INZ allocating from 9th March to
26th March 2021?.

 

3. Explain the discrepancies in point 2 (why there is such a big gap of
information that is misleading, either the OIA response quoted above or
Emma's Response is not right).

 

3. No. of Applications left in Aug from 1st Aug to 31st Aug 2019 that are
pending for Allocation to a CO (each day break up).

 

4. Weekly allocation to CO from Feb 2021 to until when you reply to this
request (Non Priority and priority queue).

 

5. Provide (in which week's allocation) did INZ allocated applications
that were in Queue from 1st July 2019 until Aug (whatever date the queue
is on in Aug 2019). For example, applications from 15th -19 July 2019 were
allocated to CO on March 1st 2021, application from the 20th-25th July
were allocated on 2nd March 2021 and so on.”

 

Amended on 29 April:

“There is a slight correction in #2 in my Original Request.

 

2. On 25th March 2021,  Emma (Immigration Manager) from the INZ Manukau
branch has advised me that the queue will be on 1st Aug after the weekly
allocation (ending on 26th March 2021), whereas in one of the OIA requests
(DOIA 2021-1478) MBIE had advised that as of 13th Feb 2021 the queue was
in Aug 2019, so what dates of applications were INZ allocating from 13th
Feb to 25th March 2021?.

 

Please add the below questions as well in the requests (additional
questions/clarification).

6. Please provide the Name, Designation, Department that endorses the
response to an OIA request before an OIA is made public.

 

7. How does MBIE's OIA team work when they provide numbers (and the whole
process)?, as we have seen huge gaps and discrepancies in the allocation
which is confirmed by Emma McFarland (as per her knowledge queue has
reached in Auh 2019 only on 26th March) VS OIA  response (DOIA 2021-1478)
around allocations and numbers.

 

8. Does MBIE's OIA team consult with Emma McFarland before they publish
the numbers, as Emma McFarland has mentioned, She is the Manager looking
after SMC/RFW weekly allocations so I am assuming nobody can answer this
better than Emma McFarland?.

 

9. If the answer to question #8 is yes, then how does the number never
match up (for example as per OIA response Allocations were happening from
Aug 2019 on 13th Feb, and as per Emma's response queue only reached in Aug
on 26th March, there is a big gap of 6 week's allocation which Accounts
for 263 application allocation in these 6 weeks.

 

10. if the Answer to question#8 is No, then who does the OIA team consult
to publish the numbers and what's the authenticity and accuracy of the
information they receive and provide it to the public/FYI website?.

 

11. As per another response (DOIA 2021-1632, INZ has allocated 263 Non
Priority Applications after 13th Feb 2021), so from which month these
applications were picked up, if not August 2019, as if it was from Aug,
the queue must have been on 22nd Aug, as from 2nd Aug to 22nd there are
roughly 257 Applications and kind of almost close to what OIA response has
provided?”

 

DOIA 2021-1917 received 29 April:

1. “Who does the INZ Manukau branch report to around the
weekly/Monthly/Daily (or whatever the frequency of reports going out) 
around each week's SMC allocation and other statuses and work carried out
in the branch?. Please provide the copies of the Status reports (since Aug
20202 up to whenever you reply to these requests) and a list of all the
people and Ministers who are provided with these reports.

 

2. Are there any sorts of KPI (Key Performance Indicator)  in place for
Case officers working on SMC/RFW applications?, if yes, please provide the
list against which they are assessed and promoted or put in re-training
(as they didn't perform well) if the answer to the question is no, then
why don't they any sorts of key performance indicator?.

 

3. If possible please provide what used to the Average caseload before
June 2018 of the COs working on SMC applications.”

 

You have also submitted the following queries through multiple staff
members:

 

Received 29 March 2021:

“I am guessing all the 356 must be WTR/RFW applications (as SMC is at a
halt). Please provide a list of Residence application accepted by INZ in
2021 with the monthly break up of acceptance and how many applications met
the priority criteria and which didn't meet such criteria and how many
have been already allocated.

 

Please also provide who does the OIA team contact get the numbers from, as
many of OIA response lately doesn't add up with what Immigration Managers
are telling public around the weekly allocation and it's all over the
place.”

 

Received 25 March 2021:

“It's been 3 weeks and the queue has only moved from 25th July to 1 August
and there was no Covid alert change in the past couple of weeks. 

 

Could you please help me understand why there is a slight movement of
one-week allocations in 3 weeks?.

 

But whereas per the below OIA response as of 9th March 2021 (2 weeks
back), the queue was in Aug 2019.

 

[1]https://fyi.org.nz/request/14768/respons...

 

I can't understand the numbers and dates as they are way too off, if INZ
was allocating application from Aug 2019 (on 9th March 2021), does it
means there has been no movement in 16 days and the queue is still stuck
on just one day i.e 1st Aug 2019.”

 

Received 24 March 2021:

“You have mentioned that the queue on 22nd Feb moved only one day because
of the number of applications received in that week (on 25th and 26th
July) and when I look at another response from you on the FYI website
(link attached below).

 

[2]https://fyi.org.nz/request/14168/respons...

 

And as per the above link, there were only 14 Applications lodged on 26th
July, so if INZ has allocated 49 application they should have been way
cross past 26th July in the week starting on 22nd Feb?.

 

Looking at the above link I see there were 177 Applications lodged after
25th July, and as per the weekly allocations which happened after 15th
Feb, Immigration never assigned 177 (they only assigned 80 applications
from NP queue) applications to CO (so either the OIA response Saying they
are allocating Aug 2019 Application is misleading or they are still in
July).

 

[3]https://fyi.org.nz/request/14768/respons...

 

Please help me understand as your response and the numbers don't add up
and are way too off.”

 

We will be in touch.

 

Kind Regards,

Lautalie Leausa Vaa
SENIOR BUSINESS ADVISOR

Operations Support, Border & Visa Operations, Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment

[4][email address] |
Level 1, 15 Stout Street, PO Box 1473, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Satish <[FYI request #15015 email]>
Sent: Monday, 29 March 2021 10:54 AM
To: *OIA <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Weekly Allocation and Status
Report of SMC allocations

 

Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,

 

Could you please help me understand a couple of things?

 

1. Who does the INZ Manukau branch report to around the
weekly/Monthly/Daily (or whatever the frequency of reports going out) 
around each week's SMC allocation and other statuses and work carried out
in the branch?. Please provide the copies of the Status reports (since Aug
20202 up to whenever you reply to these requests) and a list of all the
people and Ministers who are provided with these reports.

 

2. Are there any sorts of KPI (Key Performance Indicator)  in place for
Case officers working on SMC/RFW applications?, if yes, please provide the
list against which they are assessed and promoted or put in re-training
(as they didn't perform well) if the answer to the question is no, then
why don't they any sorts of key performance indicator?.

 

3. If possible please provide what used to the Average caseload before
June 2018 of the COs working on SMC applications.

 

I confirm I am in NZ since April 2018 and eligible to make such requests.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Satish

 

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This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[5][FYI request #15015 email]

 

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[9]www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
services

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Any opinions expressed in this message are not necessarily those of the
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. This message and any
files transmitted with it are confidential and solely for the use of the
intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient or the person
responsible for delivery to the intended recipient, be advised that you
have received this message in error and that any use is strictly
prohibited. Please contact the sender and delete the message and any
attachment from your computer.

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References

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2. https://fyi.org.nz/request/14168/respons...
3. https://fyi.org.nz/request/14768/respons...
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5. mailto:[FYI request #15015 email]
6. mailto:[MBIE request email]
7. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
8. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
9. http://www.govt.nz/

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