National Headquarters
Level 12
80 The Terrace
PO Box 2133
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone +64 4 496 3600
10 January 2022
A Boocock
By email: [FYI request #16938 email]
Dear A Boocock
Information Request – Adverts for Group Manager positions
I refer to your official information requests dated 16 and 17 October 2021 and your follow-up
questions to our subsequent response on 11 November 2021, in which you seek information about
the recent restructure at Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
In accordance with the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA), we have set out your
requests and our responses below.
Request 1
It would seem that the response to Qn 7 (copied in below) is incomplete. A common theme
communicated by RMs to 'affected' GM applicants who were unsuccessful in the first round,
was that the unsuccessful applicant could not reapply along with 'affected' people in the
second round of GM appointments. For this to have been so commonly conveyed by RMs
throughout NZ, there must have been some form of communication prior to 23 April 2021,
to, from or between RMs and/or senior management - verbal, written or other - which
conveyed or discussed this. Please provide this communication or records.
Fire and Emergency’s response
The Tranche 2 project team managed the recruitment process for the Group Manager positions
that you are referring to. No decision was made outside of the project team to exclude those who
had previously applied for positions from the recruitment round. Once this inclusion in the job
advert was brought to the attention of Senior Managers the job advert was changed and the
deadline for applications was extended to allow time for those who had previously applied to
reapply. On this basis your request is declined under sections 18(g) and 18(e) of the OIA, in that it
is not held by Fire and Emergency and the document alleged to contain the information does not
exist.
Request 2
Additionally, please supply the advertisement posted for Group Manager positions in Hawkes
Bay and Taranaki which stated that anyone who had previously applied for a GM position in
any region was ineligible to apply for those positions.
•
Please provide the rationale for this.
•
Please provide any communication between FENZ and the NZPFU regarding this
matter.
Fire and Emergency’s response
In response to this aspect of your request, please find
enclosed:
• Appendix
One – The original advertisement posted for the Group Manager positions in
Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki.
• Appendix
Two – The updated final advertisement for the Group Manager positions in
Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki.
• Appendix
Three – Correspondence between Fire and Emergency and NZPFU regarding this
matter. Some information has been redacted to protect the privacy of individuals
identified in the documents under section 9(2)(a) of the Official Information Act 1982.
The original advertisements were replaced on 6 August 2021. Because of the amendment, Fire and
Emergency extended the close off date to 16 August 2021.
Request 3
Further to the response received, this question has not been answered:
1. The ETP (Final, Jan 2020, para 47, p. 10) states that "... the organisation will
clearly set out who will be able to apply and be considered for these [new and
vacant] positions, and in what order". Please provide the document (and the
reference within) which outlines who could apply for the Group Manager
positions and in what order, as well as the order of preference for
redeployment.
Fire and Emergency Response
In response to this aspect of your request, please find
enclosed:
• Appendix
Four – Group Manager advert used in the first redeployment round.
• Appendix
Five – Group Manager advert used in the second round of redeployment but the
first round of recruitment.
• Appendix
Six – Job overview for Group Manager advert – Hawke’s Bay. This was used in
the second round of redeployment and for open recruitment.
• Appendix
Seven - Updated final advert for Group Manager – Hawke’s Bay. This was used in
the second round of redeployment and open recruitment.
Appendix Six is an example of wording used for all the remaining Group Manager roles.
The wording “if you have already applied for a GM position in any region, you are ineligible to
reapply at this time”, was removed from the appendix six advert and any future updates, as per
the directive from the Deputy Chief Executive Service Delivery. This allowed personnel who had
previously applied and were not deemed suitable to be able to reapply for the role.
Further to this, please find
enclosed email communications to personnel nationwide indicating
who could apply for the Group Manger role – see Appendix
Eight.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is availab
le at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Raewyn Bleakley
Deputy Chief Executive, Office of the Chief Executive
encl
