Kia ora,
On behalf of Hon Damien O'Connor, thank you for your email. Please accept this reply as an acknowledgement that your correspondence has been received.
While the Minister considers all correspondence to be important, and all messages are carefully read and considered, it is not always possible to personally reply to all emails. As such, the following guidelines apply:
· Invitations and meeting requests will be processed and a staff member will be in contact with you in due course
· All media queries will be responded to by a staff member
· Requests for official information will be managed in accordance with the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982, which may include transfer to a more relevant Minister or agency
· If your email falls outside of the Minister’s portfolio responsibilities, expresses a personal view, or is copied to multiple Members of Parliament, then your opinion will be noted and your correspondence may be transferred to another office, or there may be no further response to you
We note that our office receives a large volume of correspondence and it may take us some time to get back to you. If you need urgent assistance you may find some of the links below helpful:

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Thank you for the taking the time to write.
Ngā mihi,
Office of Hon Damien O'Connor
Minister of Agriculture | Minister for Biosecurity | Minister for Land Information | Minister for Rural Communities | Minister for Trade and Export Growth | MP for West Coast-Tasman

Private Bag 18888 | Parliament Buildings | Wellington 6160 | New Zealand
Authorised by Hon Damien O'Connor MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6011

________________________________

Kia ora P. J Golden,

Thank you for your email, we acknowledge receipt of your official information request dated 29 November 2022.

We have considered your request under the Official Information Act 1982 and have transferred your request to the Ministry for Primary Industries. This is because our office does not hold the information that you have request but we believe that this information is instead held by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

As such, under Section 14(b)(ii) we have transferred your request. You will hear further from the Ministry for Primary Industries regarding this request.

Ngā mihi,

Phoebe

Phoebe Murphy (she / her) | Private Secretary (Executive Support)
Office of Hon Damien O’Connor
Executive Wing 5.1L | Parliament Buildings | Wellington | (04) 817 8848

-----Original Message-----
From: P.J. Golden [mailto:[FOI #21295 email]]
Sent: Tuesday, 29 November 2022 11:19 PM
To: D OConnor (MIN) <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Evaluation of digital wallet provider

Dear Damien O'Connor,

This request is directed to you as the Minister of Agriculture and is related to your press release on 29-Nov-2022 at Beehive.co.nz titled, "Easing administrative burden on farmers through new integrated farm planning projects".
(https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/easi...)

This request concerns the following item from that release:

“Trust Alliance NZ has been allocated almost $900,000 to create a digital wallet for farmers and growers, to improve the efficiency of sharing their verified farm information with regulators, regional councils, and processors.

Trust Alliance NZ itself has little information regarding their portfolio on their website or social media so the request is for information on how this allocation decision for a digital wallet provider was made. Examples include:

a) materials provided by Trust Alliance NZ or TrackBack Limited
b) evaluations of Trust Alliance NZ or TrackBack Limited by the Minister or MPI
c) timelines or details of delivery of a digital wallet by Trust Alliance NZ or TrackBack Limited
d) alternative companies or organisations considered for the delivery of a digital wallet

Yours faithfully,

P.J. Golden

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #21295 email]

Is d.o&#x27;[email address] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Damien O&#x27;Connor? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
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If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

________________________________

hide quoted sections

Tēnā koe P.J

Thank you for your official information request received on 01 December, transferred from the Office of Hon Damien O’Connor.
Your request below will be considered and a decision provided in accordance with the requirements of the Official Information Act 1982.
If you have any questions regarding this request, please email [email address] .

Ngā mihi,

Official Information Act Team
Government Services | Public Affairs
Ministry for Primary Industries | Charles Fergusson Building, 34-38 Bowen Street | PO Box 2526 | Wellington | New Zealand
Telephone: 0800 00 83 33 | Email: [email address] | Web: www.mpi.govt.nz

-----Original Message-----
From: P.J. Golden [mailto:[FOI #21295 email]]
Sent: Tuesday, 29 November 2022 11:19 PM
To: D OConnor (MIN) <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Evaluation of digital wallet provider

Dear Damien O'Connor,

This request is directed to you as the Minister of Agriculture and is related to your press release on 29-Nov-2022 at Beehive.co.nz titled, "Easing administrative burden on farmers through new integrated farm planning projects".
(https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/easi...)

This request concerns the following item from that release:

“Trust Alliance NZ has been allocated almost $900,000 to create a digital wallet for farmers and growers, to improve the efficiency of sharing their verified farm information with regulators, regional councils, and processors.

Trust Alliance NZ itself has little information regarding their portfolio on their website or social media so the request is for information on how this allocation decision for a digital wallet provider was made. Examples include:

a) materials provided by Trust Alliance NZ or TrackBack Limited
b) evaluations of Trust Alliance NZ or TrackBack Limited by the Minister or MPI
c) timelines or details of delivery of a digital wallet by Trust Alliance NZ or TrackBack Limited
d) alternative companies or organisations considered for the delivery of a digital wallet

Yours faithfully,

P.J. Golden

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #21295 email]

Is d.o&#x27;[email address] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Damien O&#x27;Connor? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase the
original message and attachments. Thank you.

The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the office.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

hide quoted sections

On behalf of Michelle Morehu, Director Government Services, please find
attached a letter regarding your OIA request.

 

Kind regards

 

Official information Act Team
Government Services | Public Affairs

Level 15 (West), 34-38 Bowen Street, Charles Fergusson Building,
Wellington
Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua

Web: [1]www.mpi.govt.nz

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the
addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be
legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it
contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call
the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase
the
original message and attachments. Thank you.

The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the
office.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

References

Visible links
1. http://www.mpi.govt.nz/

hide quoted sections

Good afternoon

 

I refer to your official information request dated 29 November 2022
requesting information relating to the Trust Alliance NZ application to
the Integrated Farm Planning Accelerator fund for the delivery of a
digital wallet project.

 

On 18 January 2021, we wrote to you extending the time to respond to your
request until today.  However, due to the Ministry for Primary Industries
involvement with the national emergency, it will take us further time to
finalise the information for release.

 

We can advise that we have decided to grant your request. As part of our
response, we are considering providing you with a copy of the Integrated
Farm Planning Accelerator fund Application form.  Some information is
likely to be withheld under the following sections of the OIA:

·       Section 9(2)(a) - to protect the privacy of natural persons.

·       Section 9(2)(b)(ii) - to protect information where the making
available of the   information would be likely unreasonably to prejudice
the commercial position of the person who is the subject of the
information.

·       Section 9(2)(j) - to enable a Minister of the Crown or any
department or organisation holding the information to carry out, without
prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations, (including commercial and
industrial negotiations).

 

I trust the information provided is of assistance. Should you have any
concerns with this response, I would encourage you to raise these with the
Ministry for Primary Industries at [1][email address].
Alternatively, you are advised of your right to also raise any concerns
with the Office of the Ombudsman. Contact details are: Office of the
Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143 or at
[2][email address].

 

Kind regards

 

Official information Act Team

Government Services | Public Affairs

Level 15 (West), 34-38 Bowen Street, Charles Fergusson Building,
Wellington
Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua

Web: [3]www.mpi.govt.nz

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the
addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be
legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it
contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call
the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase
the
original message and attachments. Thank you.

The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the
office.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]
3. http://www.mpi.govt.nz/

hide quoted sections

Good morning

 

On behalf of Steve Penno, Director Investment Programmes, please find
attached a response to your request.

 

Kind regards

 

Official Information Act Team
Government Services | Public Affairs

Level 15 (West), 34-38 Bowen Street, Charles Fergusson Building,
Wellington
Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua

Web: [1]www.mpi.govt.nz

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the
addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be
legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it
contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call
the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase
the
original message and attachments. Thank you.

The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the
office.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

References

Visible links
1. http://www.mpi.govt.nz/

hide quoted sections

Tēnā koe P.J,

Thank you for your official information request received on 24 February.
Your request below will be considered and a decision provided in accordance with the requirements of the Official Information Act 1982.
If you have any questions regarding this request, please email [email address] .

Ngā mihi,

Official Information Act Team
Government Services | Public Affairs
Ministry for Primary Industries | Charles Fergusson Building, 34-38 Bowen Street | PO Box 2526 | Wellington | New Zealand
Telephone: 0800 00 83 33 | Email: [email address] | Web: www.mpi.govt.nz

-----Original Message-----
From: P.J. Golden <[FOI #21295 email]>
Sent: Friday, 24 February 2023 10:42 PM
To: Official Information Act <[email address]>
Subject: Re: OIA22-0900 response to your request

Dear Official Information Act Team,

Thank you for the information provided thus far.

I would ask for reconsideration on withholding of evaluations and assessments as the information provided seems contradictory as currently presented.

You state that an evaluation of TANZ Ltd. was undertaken by MPI. You also state firmly that TANZ is not working with TrackBack Ltd. on this project.

However, a press release from TANZ states the following:

"The Trust Alliance digital platform is being built by TrackBack, a decentralised technology provider. TrackBack is providing the blockchain technology that underscores the data sharing and interoperability of the TANZ consortium.

Trust Alliance members will be able to validate critical data elements including compliance, provenance, traceability and engage with customers via the TrackBack platform. Connecting growers with consumers will allow them to tell their grower story and get useful direct feedback to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

TANZ Consortium Manager and Head of Sales at TrackBack, Semanie Cato, says that building trust, maintaining data privacy and protecting digital rights are the cornerstones of Trust Alliance.

“TrackBack has developed a toolkit to address the issues common to all Trust Alliance members – based on their input. Members will all be able to easily verify and share data securely, and benefit from the increased efficiency and productivity of the consortium,” she says."
SOURCE: https://trustalliance.co.nz/primary-indu...

Further, TANZ's GitHub is made up primarily from "repositories" "forked" from the user: trackback-blockchain.
SOURCE: https://github.com/orgs/TrustAllianceNZ/...

It's difficult to accept that the evaluation was adequate given this oversight.

Yours sincerely,

P.J. Golden

-----Original Message-----

Good morning

 

On behalf of Steve Penno, Director Investment Programmes, please find attached a response to your request.

 

Kind regards

 

Official Information Act Team
Government Services | Public Affairs

Level 15 (West), 34-38 Bowen Street, Charles Fergusson Building, Wellington Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua

Web: [1]www.mpi.govt.nz

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.mpi.govt.nz/

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #21295 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

_____________________________________________________________________________________

This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase the
original message and attachments. Thank you.

The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the office.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

hide quoted sections

Good afternoon

 

On behalf of Michelle Morehu, Director Government Services, please find
attached an update on your request.

 

Kind regards

 

Official Information Act Team
Government Services | Public Affairs

Level 15 (West), 34-38 Bowen Street, Charles Fergusson Building,
Wellington
Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua

Web: [1]www.mpi.govt.nz

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the
addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be
legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it
contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call
the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase
the
original message and attachments. Thank you.

The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the
office.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

References

Visible links
1. http://www.mpi.govt.nz/

hide quoted sections

Good morning

 

On behalf of Steve Penno, Director Investment Programmes, please find
attached a response to your OIA request.

 

Official Information Act Team  
Government Services | Public Affairs

Level 15 (West), 34-38 Bowen Street, Charles Fergusson Building,
Wellington
Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua

Web: [1]www.mpi.govt.nz

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the
addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be
legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it
contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call
the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase
the
original message and attachments. Thank you.

The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the
office.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

References

Visible links
1. http://www.mpi.govt.nz/

hide quoted sections

Tēnā koe P.J,

 

Thank you for your official information request received on 4 April.

Your request below will be considered and a decision provided in
accordance with the requirements of the Official Information Act 1982.

If you have any questions regarding this request, please email
[1][email address] .

 

 

Ngā mihi,

 

Official Information Act Team

Government Services | Public Affairs

Ministry for Primary Industries | Charles Fergusson Building, 34-38 Bowen
Street | PO Box 2526 | Wellington | New Zealand 

Telephone: 0800 00 83 33 | Email: [2][email address]
 | Web: [3]www.mpi.govt.nz 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: P.J. Golden <[4][FOI #21295 email]>

Sent: Tuesday, 4 April 2023 10:11 PM

To: Official Information Act <[5][email address]>

Subject: Re: OIA23-0095 - response

 

Dear Steve Penno / Official Information Act,

 

Thank you again for attempting to clarify this request.  Unfortunately,
the goal of this request was always to understand the evaluation process
which I still feel has come up short.

 

In response to the initial request I received an application form with
nearly all evaluation related material redacted.

 

In response to the second request to reconsider the redactions, I received
a possible explanation of the relationship between TANZ and TrackBack
Ltd. 

 

However, I want to make clear that the TANZ/TrackBack relationship was
just an example of the kinds of consideration I was hoping to see being
evaluated. If it is true that the relationship has concluded, it is clear
that TrackBack was at one point a significant piece of the technology
expertise behind TANZ.  Without that relationship, does TANZ still has the
technical knowledge to deliver a digital wallet product?  This is again
another example of the kind of evaluation material I’m seeking as it isn’t
clear from either publicly available information or the application form
I’ve received so far.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

P.J. Golden

 

-----Original Message-----

 

Good morning

 

 

 

On behalf of Steve Penno, Director Investment Programmes, please find 
attached a response to your OIA request.

 

 

 

Official Information Act Team

Government Services | Public Affairs

 

Level 15 (West), 34-38 Bowen Street, Charles Fergusson Building, 
Wellington  Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua

 

Web: [1][6]www.mpi.govt.nz

 

 

 

References

 

Visible links

1. [7]http://www.mpi.govt.nz/

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[8][FOI #21295 email]

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[9]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

 

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the
addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be
legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it
contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call
the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase
the
original message and attachments. Thank you.

The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the
office.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]
3. http://www.mpi.govt.nz/
4. mailto:[FOI #21295 email]
5. mailto:[email address]
6. http://www.mpi.govt.nz/
7. http://www.mpi.govt.nz/
8. mailto:[FOI #21295 email]
9. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

hide quoted sections

Good morning

 

On behalf of Michelle Morehu, Director Government Services, please find
attached an update on your request.

 

Kind regards

 

Official Information Act Team
Government Services | Public Affairs

Level 15 (West), 34-38 Bowen Street, Charles Fergusson Building,
Wellington
Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua

Web: [1]www.mpi.govt.nz

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the
addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be
legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it
contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call
the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase
the
original message and attachments. Thank you.

The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the
office.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

References

Visible links
1. http://www.mpi.govt.nz/

hide quoted sections

Good morning

 

On behalf of Steve Penno, Director, Investment Programmes, please find
attached a response to your OIA request.

 

Kind regards

 

Official Information Act Team
Government Services | Public Affairs

Level 15 (West), 34-38 Bowen Street, Charles Fergusson Building,
Wellington
Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua

Web: [1]www.mpi.govt.nz

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the
addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be
legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it
contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call
the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase
the
original message and attachments. Thank you.

The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the
office.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

References

Visible links
1. http://www.mpi.govt.nz/

hide quoted sections