Dear Department of Internal Affairs,

I would like the information redacted in the recently published regulatory impact statement (dated 3 May 2021) on change proposals to birth certificates under the Births Deaths Marriages and Relationships Registrations Act.

The issue is one of significant public interest and debate. The impact on the rights of a range of NZers could be significant and time is short to make representations on the proposals.

These are the only two redactions in a rather straightforward RIS. I am concerned that they could be significant for the debate around the proposals. I believe their release could be in the public interest as the information in them would support democratic processes around the bill.

One has been witheld for the reasons of 'free and frank'. That seems hard to believe. This a RIS. One of the primary purposes of these documents is to inform the public of how proposals might affect them. Public release of these documents is almost certain, so it's hard to imagine that such sensitive advice would be included in a high level summary.

I would like you to reconsider your decision in light of the public interest, particularly if the sections are regarding some of the most vulnerable in our community- those in prisons. They have limited ability to know about and engage in regulatory processes that affect them. It's vital that those who advocate for them have access to full information about issues that are being discussed before they become enacted.

As this is due before parliament soon, I hope you will make responding to this request a priority.

In the interim can you please quickly provide a general outline of what subjects are covered in those two redactions.

Yours faithfully,

Terry Thomas