28 June 2022
45 Pipitea Street, Wellington 6011
Phone +64 4 495 7200
dia.govt.nz
Angela
[FYI request #19487 email]
Tēnā koe Angela
OIA request 21/22 0797 Request for information about the Registrar-General
Thank you for your Official Information Act (Act) request received by the Department of Internal
Affairs (Department) on 27 May 2021.
You requested –
1. Based on what criteria was the Registrar General chosen for his role?
2. What are the qualifications and educational background held by the current Registrar
General of New Zealand that make him suitable to carry the responsibility for handling of
millions of peoples personal information?
3. Is the Registrar General required to swear a Public oath?
4. Is the Registrar General sworn to uphold statute?
5. Is the Registrar General sworn to uphold the Crimes Act 1961? s240 s111
6. Is the Registrar General required to have a Fidelity Bond or any other Public Bond?
7. What is the starting salary package for the Registrar General, including perks, travel
perks, accomodation, incentives, and and any increases in salary made during his entire
tenure.
8. In performing his role, what qualifies the Registrar General to receive any salary
increases in the performance of his role, and are there any conflicts of interest?
9. What is the starting salary for the assistant registrar, what is his educational background
and how long has he been in his role, what salary does the assistant registrar receive in
2022.
10. Is the Registrar General a Public servant?
In response to your request I can provide you with the following information, which has been
broken down by each question for ease of reading.
Question one
Please refer to Appendix A attached alongside this letter. Appendix A provides you with the job
description for the General Manager Services and Access, which is the substantive role of the
Registrar-General (RG).
I note that the R-G is currently on secondment as General Manager of Te Ara Manaaki, working
to implement a new Births, Deaths and Marriages IT system. However, I can confirm that he
retains his R-G functions while on this secondment.
Questions two, seven and eight
I must refuse these portions of your request pursuant to section 9(2)(a) of the Act. This is
because the withholding of any information the Department may or may not hold is necessary
to protect the privacy of a natural person. I am satisfied that the withholding of the information
is not outweighed by other considerations which render it desirable, in the public interest, to
make that information available. I can advise however, that the salary range is currently
$172,082 to $232,817.
Questions three, four and five
Department staff are required to follow the laws of New Zealand.
Question six
No.
Question nine
The role of ‘Assistant Registrar’ does not exist. This portion of your request must therefore be
refused pursuant to section 18(e) of the Act; the document alleged to contain the information
requested does not exist.
Question ten
I can confirm that the Registrar-General is a public servant.
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 DIA website. All requestor data,
including your name and contact details, will be removed prior to release. The released
response will be made available here:
https://www.dia.govt.nz/Official-Information-Act-
Requests-2.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa nā
Russell Burnard
Kaiwhakahaere Matua General Manager
Te Pāhekoheko Operations
Kāwai ki te Iwi Service Delivery and Operations
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