14 February 2023
James
[FYI request #21425 email]
Tēnā koe James,
Thank you for your official information request received on 12 December 2022, for the
following information:
All correspondence/communications including but not limited to texts, emails
and phone calls between yourself/your office and Matthew Tukaki regarding
Mr Tukaki's appointment to the Oranga Tamariki Ministerial Advisory Board,
this covers the period Mr Tukaki was first considered and approached as a
possibility for the role, until 05/02/2021.
Please provide all information and communications including but not limited to
emails ,texts and phone calls relating to any special conditions/requests/clauses
that were added to Mr Tukaki's contract terms, such as the ability and right to
continue with other obligations and employment while on the advisory board.
Please confirm if any other board member requested or had similar terms added to
their contracts. If so, please provide details.
Please provide all details, and communications including but not limited to emails,
texts and phone calls if any conflicts or perceived conflicts of interest were declared
to you by Ministerial Board Members as required to do so.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the provisions of the Official
Information Act 1982 (
the Act). We have interpreted the entirety of this request to relate
to the timeframe identified within it, which is to say “the period Mr Tukaki was first
considered and approached as a possibility for the role, until 05/02/2021.” You can find
responses to each element of the request below.
All correspondence/communications including but not limited to texts, emails and
phone calls between yourself/your office and Matthew Tukaki regarding Mr Tukaki's
appointment to the Oranga Tamariki Ministerial Advisory Board, this covers the
period Mr Tukaki was first considered and approached as a possibility for the role,
until 05/02/2021.
The Board was established to provide independent advice and assurance to the
Minister for Children across three key areas of Oranga Tamariki: relationships with
families, whānau, and Māori; professional social work practice; and organisational
culture.
In line with the process outlined in the Cabinet Manual, Cabinet considered the proposal
to establish this Board, and the proposed appointees. The Cabinet minute prescribed
who would make the appointment. In this case, the Cabinet minute notes the intention
to establish the Board. This Cabinet Paper is publicly available on the Oranga Tamariki
website.
This element of your request is refused under section 18(e) of the Act, as the
information you have requested is not held by this office.
Please provide all information and communications including but not limited to
emails ,texts and phone calls relating to any special conditions/requests/clauses
that were added to Mr Tukaki's contract terms, such as the ability and right to
continue with other obligations and employment while on the advisory board.
This element of the request is refused under section 18(e) of the Act, as the information
you have requested does not exist within the timeframe specified.
Please confirm if any other board member requested or had similar terms added to
their contracts. If so, please provide details.
This element of the request is refused under section 18(e) of the Act, as the information
you have requested does not exist within the timeframe specified.
Please provide all details, and communications including but not limited to emails,
texts and phone calls if any conflicts or perceived conflicts of interest were declared
to you by Ministerial Board Members as required to do so.
This element of the request is refused under section 18(e) of the Act, as the information
you have requested does not exist. We note that Oranga Tamariki worked through the
process that is outlined in the Cabinet Manual, such as a conflict of interest declaration,
in relation to all appointments to the Oranga Tamariki Ministerial Advisory Board, but
this office does not hold such information.
Should you wish to discuss this response, we encourage you to contact this Office.
Alternatively, you are advised of your right to ask the Office of the Ombudsman to
review this decision. You can do this by writing to
[email address] or
Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.
Nāku noa, nā
The Office of Hon Kelvin Davis
Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti
Minister for Children
Minister of Corrections
Associate Minister of Education (Māori Education)
