22 February 2022
Stefan Brown
[FYI request #18494 email]
Dear Mr Brown
Thank you for your email dated 9 February 2022 to Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities
requesting the following information under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
I would like a copy of the Request for Proposal for the Infrastructure Acceleration
Fund recently submitted by Upper Hutt City Council to Kāinga Ora in particular
regard to the Southern Growth Area Guildford Development and the Silverstream
Spur Reserve. I consider there is sufficient public interest to make at least part of this
document public in particular any aspect that relates to the public land known as the
Silverstream Spur Reserve.
The Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (IAF) is an ongoing contestable process, and Kāinga
Ora is stil engaged in a process of evaluating proposals in the Request for Proposal stage,
some of which wil progress to negotiating funding agreements. Much of the information
submit ed in these proposals is commercially sensitive, and at the time of submission, it was
provided to Kāinga Ora with an obligation of confidence.
I have therefore decided to withhold the information you have requested under the following
sections of the Act to:
• 9(2)(b)(ii) – ‘
protect information where the making available of the information would
be likely unreasonably to prejudice the commercial position of the person who
supplied or who is the subject of the information.’
• 9(2)(j) –
‘enable a Minister of the Crown or any department or organisation holding
the information to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including
commercial and industrial negotiations)…’
Thank you again for your email. If you require more information about the IAF, you can visit
the following links:
• https:/ kaingaora.govt.nz/working-with-us/housing-acceleration-fund/infrastructure-
acceleration-fund/
• https:/ www.hud.govt.nz/urban-development/the-housing-acceleration-
fund/infrastructure-acceleration-fund/.
I do not consider that the public interest in release of the withheld information outweighs the
need to withhold it. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the
Ombudsman of this response. Information about how to make a complaint is available online
at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phone on 0800 802 602.
Please note that Kāinga Ora proactively releases our responses to official information
requests where possible. Our response to your request may be published at
https://kainga
ora.govt.nz/publications/official-information-requests/ with your personal information
removed.
Yours sincerely
Rachel Kelly
Manager Government Relations