29 April 2022
45 Pipitea Street, Thorndon, Wel ington
Phone +64 4 495 7200
dia.govt.nz
Luke
[FYI request #18798 email]
Tēnā koe Luke
Your Official Information Act request of 15 March 2022 - OIA 2122-0632
Thank you for your email of 7 March 2022 to the Minister of Local Government, Hon Nanaia
Mahuta, requesting the fol owing information under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act):
“I reference an article in the NZ Herald (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/the-
public-information-campaign-that-cost-4m-and-the-consultants-cost-thats-still-
secret/H4FOOA3CBYGCGBMSED5VSG4GI /) that quotes the DIA abandoning a "third
draft" of the advertising campaign for three waters reform and edits to the second
draft.
I am requesting copies of all drafts provided to the Minister or Ministry.”
On 15 March 2022, your request was transferred pursuant to section 14 of the Act to the
Department of Internal Affairs (the Department) for response.
On 12 April 2022, we extended the time available to respond to your request to 29 April
2022 under section 15A(1)(b) of the Act, as the consultations, with the third-party vendor,
necessary to make a decision on the request were such that a proper response to the
request could not reasonably be made within the original time limit.
The article you have cited refers to:
• The first television advertisement in the campaign
• The “second ad” which we take to mean the second television advertisement in the
campaign
• A “third proposed draft”.
We have interpreted the “third proposed draft” to be referring to the third television
advertisement, which was never produced. The only “drafts” of this advertisement held by
the Department are a script and a storyboard.
On this basis in response to your request for
“all drafts provided to the Minister or Ministry”
we are releasing three documents, in full. These are the scripts for the first two television
commercials which detail amendments made after concerns were raised about its content
and the script and the storyboard for the third advertisement. These are attached as
Appendices A, B and C. As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, the Department has
decided to proactively release a copy of this response on the Department’s website. Al your
personal details will be deleted, and we wil not publish any information that would identify
you as the person who requested the information.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review of our decision by the Ombudsman
under section 28(3) of the Act. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Samantha Perry
Acting Manager, Ministerial Services
Three Waters Reform Programme
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