2 February 2022
Scott
[FYI request #16610 email]
Ref: OIA-2021/22-0782
Dear Scott
Official Information Act request relating to A-o-G situation reports
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request received on 20 December 2021.
You requested:
“You seem to have changed your approach to redacting a certain part of these
documents since your 1 November response to my initial request.
For instance, comparing page 41 of your first response document (3 September
report "Protests and Disinformation" section) and page 12 of your second
response (8 September report "Compliance" section) shows that the latter is
much more heavily redacted, although clearly the two cover the same topic. This
is the case for every section covering this topic in your second response.
Are you able to please advise me why your approach has changed? If not, I will
refer this to the Ombudsman to check if the redactions in the latter documents
are appropriate.
In the meantime, I would like to make a follow up request. I would like to request:
Copies of all COVID-19 Across Government Situation Reports, dated since the
beginning of November.”
Please note under Section 2(1) of the Act, days in the period commencing 25 December 2021 through
to 15 January 2022, are not counted as working days. I have decided under section 15A of the Act to
extend the time limits for deciding on your request by an additional 40 working days. Consequently,
the extended due date for your response will be 5 April 2022.
The extension is required because your request necessitates a search through a large quantity of
information, and consultations are needed before a decision can be made on your request. This
includes reviewing the information that was sent to you in your previous requests and undertaking
further consultations with the relevant agencies where necessary. Despite the extension, a response
will be sent to you as soon as possible.
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision under section 28(3)
of the Act.
Yours sincerely
Sarah Corbett
Manager, Ministerial and Business Services
Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
4480873
64 4 817 9700 Facsimile 64 4 472 3181 www.dpmc.govt.nz
