2 December 2022
45 Pipitea Street, Thorndon, Wellington 6011
PO Box 805, Wellington
Phone 04 495 7200
Chris McCashin
Em
ail [email address]
[FYI request #21055 email]
dia.govt.nz
Dear Chris,
Your Official Information Act 1982 request, reference OIA 22/23-0360
Thank you for your email of 6 November 2022 requesting the following under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
“I understand per a previous OIA the software for STV local body elections was
outsourced to a private company
Please provide
- Procurement process and companies involved in process
- Recommendation associated with awarding contract
- Name of company awarded contract
- Contract terms
- Effectively any and all memos formal and informal and the process that was went
through to award the contract to the company and the company that won
- Including personnel at DIA that were involved including consultants.”
I can advise that in 2001, Te Tari Taiwhenua | the Department of Internal Affairs (Te Tari)
contracted Information Power Limited (IPL) to develop a Single Transferable Vote (STV)
calculator. The IPL calculator came to be known as both the ‘beta’ and ‘back-up’ calculator. It
has never been actively utilised in any local body elections and was decommissioned in
2016.
In 2003, Te Tari contracted Cap Gemini New Zealand (CGNZ) to develop a new STV
calculator. The CGNZ calculator is known as the main calculator and has been used in all local
body elections utilising the STV method since it was introduced in 2004.
Decision on your request
We have interpreted your request to be asking for contracts only for the companies where
the STV calculator was used in the local body elections. One document is within scope of this
request, entitled
Cap Gemini Software Agreement.
Te Tari’s decision is to release this document to you under the Act, however consultation
with the CGNZ is necessary before we release this document to you. We anticipate we can
deliver the document to you, by email, by 21 December 2022.
Please note there may be some information withheld under the Act. Where this applies, it
will be clearly noted.
We have been unable to locate any further information within scope of your request. The
information relating to the STV software contract is now over 20 years old and may have
been paper based. Therefore, the parts of your request for procurement information and
internal memos is refused under section 18(e) of the Act, as despite reasonable efforts to
locate the documents alleged to contain the information, these cannot be found.
All information about the companies who were unsuccessful during the procurement
process to develop an STV calculator is withheld under section 9(2)(b)(ii) of the Act. Making
this information available would be unreasonably likely to prejudice the commercial position
of the person who supplied or who is the subject of the information.
Over the past 20 years, numerous Te Tari staff and external consultants have been involved
with the STV Calculator. It is not possible to provide a comprehensive list of all personnel
involved as no such list exists. This is refused as per section 18(e) of the Act.
Other information
You may find it useful to know that for a concise summary of the STV and how it works,
more information is available at www.stv.govt.nz.
You have the right, under section 28(3) of the Act, to seek an investigation and review of this
decision by the Office of the Ombudsman. Information is available on the website
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz. Alternatively, you can phone 0800 802 602 or email
[email address].
We intend to publish our response to your request on www.dia.govt.nz. This letter, with
your personal details removed, will be published in its entirety. Publishing responses
increases the availability of information to the public and is consistent with the Act’s
purpose of enabling more effective participation in the making and administration of laws
and policies and promoting the accountability of Ministers and officials.
Nāku noa nā
Anita Balakrishnan
Tumuaki | Director Ministerial, Monitoring, and Capability
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