Documents relating to 2010 decision to split the IPG into two different entities
Joshua Grainger made this Official Information request to Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
The request was partially successful.
From: Joshua Grainger
Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,
I recently make an OIA request about the 2013 review of the Immigration Profiling Branch (IPB). This revealed that in 2010 there was a review of the Immigration Profiling Group (IPG) that resulted in IPG splitting into two entities: the IPB, and a mysterious other entity whose name itself was redacted from my OIA. I would like to request under the Official Information Act;
* all documents relating to the decision in 2010 to split IPG into two components, including any review documents that lead up to the making of this decision. I am not interested in any staff consultation information at this stage.
* I would also like to explicitly request the names of the two entities that IPG split into. It seems a bit silly that there's an organisation resulting from the IPG split so secret that we cannot even know its name.
In the case that any information is to be withheld I would request that redaction be made instead of withholding any documents in full, or failing that, the titles and dates of the withheld documents be released.
Please feel free to contact me if you would like me to clarify my request.
Yours faithfully,
Joshua Grainger
From: Tracey Turner
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Dear Joshua
Please could you contact me regarding your request below?
Kind regards
Tracey Turner
Business Manager - Immigration | Rōpū Manene
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
PO Box 1473 | Wellington 6140 | New Zealand
Tel: +64 4 896 5178
Email: [email address]
Web: www.mbie.govt.nz
-----Original Message-----
From: Joshua Grainger [mailto:[OIA #2157 email]]
Sent: Friday, 7 November 2014 1:08 p.m.
To: *OIA
Subject: Official Information Act request - Documents relating to 2010 decision to split the IPG into two different entities
Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,
I recently make an OIA request about the 2013 review of the Immigration Profiling Branch (IPB). This revealed that in 2010 there was a review of the Immigration Profiling Group (IPG) that resulted in IPG splitting into two entities: the IPB, and a mysterious other entity whose name itself was redacted from my OIA. I would like to request under the Official Information Act;
* all documents relating to the decision in 2010 to split IPG into two components, including any review documents that lead up to the making of this decision. I am not interested in any staff consultation information at this stage.
* I would also like to explicitly request the names of the two entities that IPG split into. It seems a bit silly that there's an organisation resulting from the IPG split so secret that we cannot even know its name.
In the case that any information is to be withheld I would request that redaction be made instead of withholding any documents in full, or failing that, the titles and dates of the withheld documents be released.
Please feel free to contact me if you would like me to clarify my request.
Yours faithfully,
Joshua Grainger
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From: Joshua Grainger
Dear Tracey,
Sure, I will give you a call sometime tomorrow.
Yours sincerely,
Joshua Grainger
Joshua Grainger left an annotation ()
This is pre the call, but upon doing some more research I found a slideshow with some more information on what the Intelligence and Risk Unit does. The slideshow is here: http://www.baliprocess.net/files/NZ%20Im...
Notable is that the information in the slideshow seems to lead credence to the theory that:
* the Client Profiling Unit develops the profiles that IPB relies upon, and that
* the Risk Assessment Team is where applications that are deemed to risky for IPB are referred to.
Pasted below is what I found from the slideshow:
"The Intelligence & Risk Unit is the group that Shaun Driscoll manages. It essentially consists of four service delivery teams and one project team.
The Unit is recently formed and it has brought together a group of services that had previously been spread far and wide across INZ. The new grouping recognises the important synergies between risk identification and profiling and risk assessment, and the essential role that intelligence and information collection should play in these processes.
These functions are highly complimentary and should be inter-dependent if quality outcomes are to be achieved. The structure recognised the value of quality information.
Our Intelligence Unit has been structured in a way that recognises the importance of developing and maintaining a detailed strategic picture and at the same time, makes resources available to provide tactical intelligence support to our operational units and to the wider INZ team.
To compliment the work of our Intelligence Analysts, we have recently established an Intelligence Collections and liaison Unit that will have responsibility for developing a stronger information management and information collection culture across INZ. The team will work closely with all onshore and offshore branches to ensure that relevant information is collated in a timely manner, enabling it to be analysed and used in the various decision-making and risk management processes. It will also manage our relationship with other government agencies and international partners.
The Client Profiling Unit maintains the INZ Risk Profiling System and ensures that Risk Profiles are continuously updated and relevant to the various INZ processes that rely on them. Clearly their relationships with the Intelligence Unit and the Intelligence Collection and liaison Unit are very important.
The Risk Assessment Team is responsible for conducting risk assessment on all visa and refugee applications that are assessed as potentially posing a high risk to New Zealand. Again they work closely with the other teams to ensure they have all necessary information available for the assessment process.
Finally, we are responsible for the delivery of the Pacific Regional Immigration Identity Project (PRIIP) and the Pacific Intelligence Officer Project (INTEL). I will talk a little more about it shortly."
From: Tracey Turner
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Thanks. I'll be available until about 3pm.
Kind regards
Tracey
-----Original Message-----
From: Joshua Grainger [mailto:[OIA #2157 email]]
Sent: Wednesday, 12 November 2014 5:43 p.m.
To: Tracey Turner
Subject: RE: Official Information Act request - Documents relating to 2010 decision to split the IPG into two different entities [UNCLASSIFIED]
Dear Tracey,
Sure, I will give you a call sometime tomorrow.
Yours sincerely,
Joshua Grainger
-----Original Message-----
Dear Joshua
Please could you contact me regarding your request below?
Kind regards
Tracey Turner
Business Manager - Immigration | Rōpū Manene Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment PO Box 1473 | Wellington 6140 | New Zealand
Tel: +64 4 896 5178
Email: [email address]
Web: www.mbie.govt.nz
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[OIA #2157 email]
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From: *OIA
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Dear Mr Grainger,
Please find attached an acknowledgement letter in regards to your recent
Official Information Act request.
Regards,
David Baird
Ministerial Services
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
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government services
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From: Tracey Turner
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Dear Joshua
Thank you for your phone call today in which I explained that the release of any documentation in relation to the changed structure of Immigration New Zealand in 2010 would show that IPG was split so that like functions were grouped together and that the visa processing arm of IPG was moved to be a part of the same group as all the other visa processing arms in INZ; and the other arm was located with its like functions.
You advised that you want to understand the capability of the other arm of IPG and how it functioned/s.
I would like therefore to confirm that we have refined your request to provide information on the capability of the other arm of IPG and how it functioned/s.
Grateful if you could please confirm by return email.
Many thanks
Tracey Turner
-----Original Message-----
From: Joshua Grainger [mailto:[OIA #2157 email]]
Sent: Wednesday, 12 November 2014 5:43 p.m.
To: Tracey Turner
Subject: RE: Official Information Act request - Documents relating to 2010 decision to split the IPG into two different entities [UNCLASSIFIED]
Dear Tracey,
Sure, I will give you a call sometime tomorrow.
Yours sincerely,
Joshua Grainger
-----Original Message-----
Dear Joshua
Please could you contact me regarding your request below?
Kind regards
Tracey Turner
Business Manager - Immigration | Rōpū Manene Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment PO Box 1473 | Wellington 6140 | New Zealand
Tel: +64 4 896 5178
Email: [email address]
Web: www.mbie.govt.nz
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[OIA #2157 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 OIA officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
newzealand.govt.nz - connecting you to New Zealand central & local government services
Any opinions expressed in this message are not necessarily those of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. This message and any files transmitted with it are confidential and solely for the use of the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient or the person responsible for delivery to the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this message in error and that any use is strictly prohibited. Please contact the sender and delete the message and any attachment from your computer.
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From: Joshua Grainger
Dear Tracey,
That is correct. Thank you very much.
Yours sincerely,
Joshua Grainger
From: Tracey Turner
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
I'm working away of the office today but contactable by email and cell
phone.
Tracey Turner
Business Manager, Immigration New Zealand
021 879 247
[1]newzealand.govt.nz - connecting you to New Zealand central & local
government services
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Any opinions expressed in this message are not necessarily those of the
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. This message and any
files transmitted with it are confidential and solely for the use of the
intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient or the person
responsible for delivery to the intended recipient, be advised that you
have received this message in error and that any use is strictly
prohibited. Please contact the sender and delete the message and any
attachment from your computer.
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Joshua Grainger left an annotation ()
This OIA request has been answered, but they sent the email to this OIA request: https://fyi.org.nz/request/1954-review-o... (see the email of the December 05).
It confirms that the second entity inside IPG was the Risk Assessment Team, which now exists inside the Intelligence, Risk and Integrity Division. The redaction of this information from the original OIA response was probably just overzealous redaction, esp given that the Risk Assessment Team is listed on the INZ structure chart.
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Joshua Grainger left an annotation ()
In the 2013 Briefing to Incoming Ministers there's a chart with the structure of Immigration NZ. Inside the Intelligence Risk & Integrity Division (IRID) there's the intelligence and risk business unit. Inside here there are three different units that may be one of the units that IPG split into. These are the:
* Client profiling unit
* Immigration intelligence unit
* Risk assessment team
Suspicions would be increased if someone could find an organizational map of Immigration NZ from before the IPG split that showed that these units did not exist. I would hazard a guess to say that it is one of these three groups that IPB refers applications that they deem of particular risk.
Link to this