25 June 2021
Lional Jones
[FYI request #15590 email]
Reference: OIA-2020/21-0623
Dear Lional Jones
Official Information Act request relating to activities held off-site for Fridays in
December 2020
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request received on 27 May 2021.
You requested:
“the diaries or details of meetings, events or activities held off-site for all your tier 1 and
2 officials on each Friday in December 2020. This should exclude if the official was on
annual, sick or other approved leave that day, and they did not partake in any
meetings, events or activities that involved other staff or Departmental/Ministry
resources on that leave day. Details can be as brief as the subject, date, time, and
location.”
You have requested information relating to meetings attended by tier 1 and 2 officials in the
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC), on Friday 4,11, and 18 December
2020. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is a departmental agency
hosted by DPMC therefore, this response also includes tier 1 and 2 officials
in NEMA.
For DPMC we have interpreted tier 1 officials to include the Secretary, Brook Barrington and
for tier 2 officials to include following members of the Executive Leadership Team:
Anneliese Parkin, Deputy Chief Executive, Policy
Cheryl Barnes, Deputy Chief Executive, COVID-19 Response
Tony Lynch, Deputy Chief Executive, National Security Group
Stephen McKernan, Director, Health and Disability Transition Unit
Clare Ward,
Executive Director, Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Michael Webster, Secretary of the Cabinet.
For NEMA, we have interpreted tier 1 officials to include the Chief Executive, Carolyn
Schwalger and for tier 2 officials to include Alan Cassidy, Deputy Chief Executive, Strategic
Enablement.
We have interpreted your request to be for meetings including events or activities held in a
location other than DPMA or NEMA premises. We have not included meetings conducted
through Zoom, Microsoft Teams or telephone.
In your request you state that you are “
studying the productivity of tier 1 and 2 officials in
various Departments and Ministries on Fridays in December during the lead up to Christmas
2020.” Please note, the attendance of meetings by senior managers, regardless of the
location, day of the week or time of year, does not provide an accurate reflection of
Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
64 4 817 9700 Facsimile 64 4 472 3181 www.dpmc.govt.nz
productivity. Attending meetings only represents part of the work of managers and the need
to do it varies between individuals, depending on their roles.
The information you have requested is attached. Please note that Mr Cassidy attended no
offsite meetings for the period requested.
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision under
section 28(3) of the Act.
We do not intend to publish this response on the Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet’s website.
Yours sincerely
Clare Ward
Executive Director
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
4389713
2
Appendix
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
Tier 1: Brook Barrington, Secretary
4 December 2020
Scheduled Time
Subject
Location
9.30am
Central Agencies regular meeting Wellington
10.45am
Ministry of Business, Innovation Wellington
&
Employment’s
Extended
Leadership Team
11 December and 18 December 2020
No offsite meetings
Tier 2: Members of the Executive Leadership team
4 December 2020
Official
Scheduled Time
Subject
Location
Cheryl Barnes
11.00am-1.00pm
Strategy Session – COVID-19 Wellington
Response portfolio
Tony Lynch
No offsite meetings
Stephen McKernan
7.30am – 4.30pm
Meeting with Whanganui Board Whanganui
Management and Iwi Partners
Anneliese Parkin
9.00am-10.30am
Central Agencies regular meeting Wellington
1.30pm-2.00pm
Ministry of Health
Wellington
Clare Ward
11am to 12 noon
IT
Project
Specific
Steering Wellington
Committee
Michael Webster
9.00am-10.30am
Central Agencies regular meeting Wellington
Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
64 4 817 9700 Facsimile 64 4 472 3181 www.dpmc.govt.nz
10.30 am to 12 noon
Aspen Institute NZ event
Wellington
4389713
4
11 December 2020
Official
Scheduled Time
Subject
Location
Cheryl Barnes
No offsite meetings
Tony Lynch
No offsite meetings
Stephen McKernan
No offsite meetings
Anneliese Parkin
11.30am-12.00 noon
Prime Minister’s Office
Wellington
Clare Ward
9.00am to 11.00am
IT Governance Committee
Wellington
Michael Webster
No offsite meetings
18 December 2020
Official
Scheduled Time
Subject
Location
Cheryl Barnes
No offsite meetings
Tony Lynch
3.30pm – 5.30pm
Royal Commission of Inquiry - Christchurch
Government Response
6.00pm – 8.00pm
Royal Commission of Inquiry - Christchurch
Government Response
Stephen McKernan
No offsite meetings
Anneliese Parkin
12.00 noon -1.30pm
Ministry of Social Development
Wellington
Clare Ward
No offsite meetings
Michael Webster
No offsite meetings
4389713
5
National Emergency Management Agency
Tier 1 - Carolyn Schwalger, Chief Executive
4 December 2020
Scheduled Time
Subject
Location
No offsite meetings
11 December 2020
7.00am – 9.00am
Emergency Services Leadership Board
Wellington
9.00am – 11.00am
IT Governance Committee
Wellington
18 December 2020
7.00am – 8.00am
Next Generation Critical Communications
Wellington
4389713
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