Dear Minister for the Environment,

On 2 March 2023 I requested under the Official Information Act the following information (inter alia):
* a copy of any advice you received from the CE of the EPA on how to ensure EPA staff were aware of your decision before it became public; ["your decision" references a decision you made publicly under s36 of the Crown Entities Act]
* the communications strategy prepared by your office to ensure appropriate advice to EPA staff;
* copies of any correspondence with the Public Service Association to ensure the wellbeing of EPA staff through this transition;
* copies of any advice from the PSC on how to manage the impact of your decision on EPA staff;

You did not respond to this request within the time frame set by law. Subsequently you refused to provide the above information under s18(e) of the OIA as "the information does not exist".

Under the OIA I seek:
1) any information you hold relating to your decision not to ensure EPA staff were aware of your decision under section 36 of the Crown Entities Act before it became public;
2) any information you hold relating to your decision not to seek advice from the Public Service Association on how to ensure the wellbeing of EPA staff through this transition;
3) any information you hold relating to your decision not seek advice from the PSC on how to manage the impact of your decision on EPA staff;

I appreciate I have sent a number of OIA requests on this topic. This because the answer I have received cause confusion and concern. I worry that you are taking a very narrow approach to these requests. You are a Minister who is committed to workers rights. It is simply inconceivable that you did not turn your mind to how best to ensure the wellbeing of EPA staff. If you hold information that shows the steps you took to ensure the best interests of EPA staff were considered in this difficult situation that does fall within the requests above I ask that you seriously consider releasing it so that this line of inquiry can come to an end.

Yours faithfully,

Harris Leigh