16 September 2022
Ref: DOIA 2223-0418
Harry Peterson
[FYI request #19806 email]
Tēnā koe Harry Peterson,
Thank you for your correspondence of 2 July 2022 to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
(DPMC), requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following information:
“a record of times ‘Whangārei’, or ‘Whangarei’, has been mentioned in Cabinet
papers from the date beginning 26 October 2017 to present.”
On 14 July 2022, DPMC consulted with you to narrow the scope of your request. You agreed to refine your
request to:
“Only the mention of Whangārei pertaining to funding decisions within Cabinet.”
On 25 July 2022, DPMC consulted with you again to further narrow the scope of your request. You
agreed to refine your request as follows:
“All documents and Cabinet papers mentioning Whangārei in relation to infrastructure
and health funding decisions from the date beginning October 2017.”
On 24 August 2022, DPMC transferred your request to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment (MBIE), under section 14(b)(i ) of the Act, as part of the request is more closely associated
with the functions of MBIE.
Due to the refinements of your request and its earlier wording, MBIE has interpreted the scope of your
request for ‘al documents’ as referring to Cabinet decisions and Cabinet documents only.
Prior to partially transferring this request to MBIE, DPMC completed a search for relevant Cabinet papers.
The following papers were identified and are potentially within scope of your request:
• Provincial Growth Fund: November 2019 to July 2020 Report and Performance Highlights
[5/08/2020]
www.mbie.govt.nz/dmsdocument/11927-provincial-growth-fund-economic-
development-committee-report-back-november-2019-to-july-2020-and-performance-highlights-
proactiverelease-pdf
• Provincial Growth Fund: Regional Rail Investments in 2019/20 [DEV-19-MIN-0213] [7/08/2019]
www.mbie.govt.nz/dmsdocument/10753-provincial-growth-fund-regional-rail-investments-in-
2019-20-proactiverelease-pdf
• Provincial Growth Fund: Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy and Northland Rail Investment
[DEV-19-MIN-0339] [4/12/2019]
www.mbie.govt.nz/dmsdocument/10755-provincial-growth-
fund-upper-north-island-supply-chain-strategy-and-northland-rail-investment-proactiverelease-
pdf
• Worker Redeployment Package: Next Phase [13/05/2020]
covid19.govt.nz/assets/Proactive-
Releases/proactive-release-2020-june/PAPER-AND-MINUTE-Worker-Redeployment-Package-
Next-Phase.pdf.
These papers have al been proactively released and can be accessed using the links above. MBIE is
therefore refusing your request under section 18(d) of the Act, as the information requested is or will
soon be publicly available.
Please note that while MBIE does not believe it holds any further cabinet material in scope of your
request, MBIE has funded a number of projects in Whangārei and the surrounding area, notably through
its regional development branch, Kānoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit (Kānoa –
RDU). Funds administered by Kānoa – RDU include the Provincial Growth Fund and the COVID-19
Response and Recovery Fund – Infrastructure Reference Group.
If you would like to know more about these funds, or how decisions were made, please refer to the
following links:
•
www.growregions.govt.nz/established-funds/what-we-have-funded/covid-19-recovery-funding/
•
www.growregions.govt.nz/established-funds/what-we-have-funded/the-provincial-growth-
fund/how-we-made-decisions/
•
www.crowninfrastructure.govt.nz/irg/
Further, a list of all investments made by Kānoa – RDU is available here -
www.growregions.govt.nz/established-funds/what-we-have-funded/. You can filter by ‘Northland’ to
help identify projects in and around Whangārei. If there are any projects you would like more information
on, please do not hesitate to make a request to MBIE directly.
We trust you will find this information helpful. 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
Tane Dewes
Manager, Operations Support and Improvement
Kānoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit
