8 August 2023
Ombudsman Ref: 571551
DPMC Ref: OIA-2021/22-0477
Harold
[FYI request #17332 email]
Dear Harold
Official Information Act request for information associated with the National Risk
Register and Draft National Risk Report 2018
I refer to your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request received by the Department of
the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) on 25 October 2021. You requested:
“…a list of every risk profile in the register, including the following details for
each profile
1) The profile title
2) The identity of the coordinating agency or agencies
3) The date that the current profile was issued (month and year).
4) The profile security classification
I would also like to request copies of these briefings:
1) November 2017: “Improving the management of nationally significant
risks” [document ID 4000794]
2) December 2017: "National Risk Register 2018" [document ID 4015680]
3) April 2018: "Cover‐
note in explanation of attached National Risk items"
[document ID 4377343]
4) June, July and August 2018: "Updates on the New Zealand National
Risk Report" [document IDs 4057532, 4068687 and 4067533]
5) August 2018: "Aide‐
Memoire: Ministerial meeting on New Zealand
National Risk Report" [document ID 4077370]
6) December 2018: “Managing National Security Risks” [document ID
4101239]
7) January 2019: “Benefits of a publicly available national risk report”
[1819NSPD/070]
8) Any other briefings, dated since February this year, that deal with the
topic of the National Risk Register”
After discussions with the Office of the Ombudsman, in relation to the investigation of your
complaint about DPMC withholding information, we advised of our intention to reassess
these for release. We have reassessed the documents and decided the information you have
requested will be provided to you, subject to some information being withheld. Following
extensive consultations, we have now completed a further assessment and can release the
documents to you. I apologise for the delay in finalising the release of these documents to
you and regret we were not able to meet our anticipated timeframe. This was for the most
part due to the large amount of information to be reassessed and prepared for release and
the number of agencies and Ministers that needed to be consulted before a final decision
was made.
Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
4672602
64 4 817 9700 Facsimile 64 4 472 3181 www.dpmc.govt.nz
Please find attached the requested documents as set on in the table below:
Doc
Title
Comment and withholding
No
grounds
Doc 01
November 2017: “Improving the management Sections:
of nationally significant risks”
6(a)
9(2)(a)
Doc 02
December 2017: “National Risk Register 2018” Section:
9(2)(a)
Doc 03
April 2018: “Cover-note in explanation of
No redactions.
attached National Risk items”
Pg 28, Para 3.
Note –Draft National
Risk Report 2018 is
available on the DPMC website at:
dpmc.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2022-
12/oia-2020-21-0511-draft-national-
risk-report.pdf.
Doc 04
June, July and August 2018: “Updates on the Pg 84, Attachment B:
New Zealand National Risk Report”
Note –Draft National Risk Report
2018 is available on the DPMC
website at:
dpmc.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2022-
12/oia-2020-21-0511-draft-national-
risk-report.pdf.
Pg 84, Attachment C:
Withheld in full under 9(2)(g)(i).
Sections:
9(2)(a)
9(2)(ba)
9(2)(f)(iv)
9(2)(g)(i)
Doc 05
August 2018: “Aide-Memoire: Ministerial
Section:
meeting on New Zealand National Risk Report” 9(2)(g)(i)
Doc 06
December 2018: “Managing National Security Sections:
Risks”
6(a)
9(2)(a)
9(2)(f)(iv)
Doc 07
January 2019: “Benefits of a
Sections:
publicly available national risk
9(2)(a)
report”
9(2)(g)(i)
Doc 08
August 2021 “Public Risk Report Plan &
Sections:
Opportunities to Advance the Public
9(2)(a)
Conversation” within the scope of the request. 9(2)(g)(i)
Attachment B ‘Risk Report Talking
Points’
Withheld in full under 9(2)(g)(i).
2
Doc
Title
Comment and withholding
No
grounds
Doc 09
Summary of risk profile details including “title,
No redactions. risk-coordinating agency, date the current
profile was issued, the profile security
classification” (as at July 2023).
As noted in the table above, and in the documents themselves, some information continues
to be withheld under the following sections of the Act:
• section 6(a), to protect the security or defence of New Zealand or the international
relations of the Government of New Zealand
• section 9(2)(a), to protect the privacy of individuals
• section 9(2)(ba), to protect the supply of similar information in the future
• section 9(2)(f)(iv), to maintain the confidentiality of advice tendered by or to Ministers
and officials
• section 9(2)(g)(i), to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and
frank expression of opinion
Document 04 Attachment C “Communications Plan” and Document 08 Attachment B “Risk
Report Talking Points” are withheld in full under s 9(2)(g)(i).
Set out below is some important context on the release of information relating to the National
Risk Register and the development of a now historical draft 2018 document entitled the
‘National Risk Report’. Also provided is information and links to more current information on
New Zealand’s nationally significant risks.
The National Risk Register
The government has a National Risk Register – a tool that can help us build resilience to
nationally significant risks in a proactive and coordinated way. Government agencies work
together to anticipate, prepare for, and mitigate risks. Our assessment of risks on the
National Risk Register is constantly evolving.
Much of the information released as part of this request on the National Risk Register is now
several years old and is out-of-date. It should not be assumed to reflect government’s current
views, as the content of these briefings and attachments predate recent events that have
further shaped our understanding of the risks we face.
We recently published information about the National Risk Register on our website to
increase transparency and public awareness of the range of nationally significant risks we
face:
dpmc.govt.nz/our-programmes/national-security/national-risk-approach-0.
The Draft National Risk Report 2018
The briefings included for release illustrate the iterative process taken by officials to develop
the ‘National Risk Report’, a historical draft document from 2018. The purpose of the report
was to provide information on many of the risks on the National Risk Register, and outline
some of the ways government was working to mitigate these at the time. The DPMC
coordinated the production of this report, with input from several government agencies and
stakeholders. The draft report was provided to Ministers for consideration, but ultimately did
not progress beyond a draft stage and was never formally endorsed or lodged to Cabinet for
approval to release.
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This draft is now considerably out-of-date and does not represent the government’s
assessment of the current risk landscape, particularly given recent significant domestic and
global events such as the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain on 15 March 2019, the
COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and severe weather events, including
Cyclone Gabrielle earlier this year.
The Draft National Risk Report 2018 was published on the DPMC website in December 2022
in response to an Official Information Act request. You can read the Draft National Risk
Report 2018 here:
dpmc.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2022-12/oia-2020-21-0511-draft-national-
risk-report.pdf
Opportunities to communicate publicly on nationally significant risks
We are committed to increasing engagement with New Zealanders on nationally significant
risks and to being more transparent on matters of national security. This is in line with the
findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain
on 15 March 2019.
The option to develop a National Risk Report was considered in 2021, however this was
superseded by the development of the National Security Long Term Insights Briefing entitled
‘Let’s talk about our national security: Engaging an increasingly diverse Aotearoa New
Zealand on national security risks, chal enges and opportunities’. This briefing shares
information on some of the most significant threats and risks New Zealand could face over
the next 10 - 15 years, and outlines work currently underway to prepare. We consider this a
valuable source of information on some of the nationally significant risks we face, and you
can find out more and read this briefing on the DPMC website at:
dpmc.govt.nz/our-
programmes/national-security/national-security-long-term-insights-briefing.
I remind you that you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my
decision under section 28(3) of the Act.
This revised response wil be published on DPMC’s website, your personal information
including name and contact details will be removed for publication.
Yours sincerely
Dan Eaton
Acting Deputy Chief Executive
National Security Group
Enc: Requested Documents relating to the National Risk Register
Cc:
Office of the Ombudsman
Ombudsman reference: 571551
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