Thank you for your email to the Ministry of Environment (the Ministry). 

The Ministry is committed to openness, transparency and accountability and
we are working to provide responses to correspondence and requests as soon
as possible.  

You will receive an acknowledgement of your request and we will advise of
expected timeframes for a response.  

Fulfilling our statutory obligations under the Official Information Act
1982 (the Act) is important to us. If you have made a request under the
Act and have not received an acknowledgement within one working day,
please contact [1][email address].  

Information about OIA requests during COVID-19 is available on the
Ombudsman’s website: [2]FAQs about official information requests during
COVID-19 | Ombudsman New Zealand  

If you have been redirected by an out of office message from a Ministerial
team member, an alternate Ministerial Services team member will be in
touch in the next 24 Hours.

 

Thank you for your patience.  Noho ora mai  

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/reso...

Kia ora Debbie Leota,

Thank you for your Official Information Act request received on
18/05/2023.

We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in
any event no later than 20 working days after the day your request was
received. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will
notify you of an extension to that timeframe.

Please note the Ministry for the Environment will release responses to
selected OIA requests on our [1]OIA responses page shortly after the
response has been sent.

If you have any queries, please feel free to contact us at
[MFE request email].

Please note that this Taku Mahi inbox is not monitored.

Ngâ mihi nui

Ministerial Services Team 

Ministry for the Environment – Manatû Mô Te Taiao

Email: [MFE request email] Website: [2]www.mfe.govt.nz 

23 Kate Sheppard Place, Thorndon, Wellington 6143

References

Visible links
1. http://www.mfe.govt.nz/about-us/official...
2. http://www.mfe.govt.nz/

Kia ora Debbie

Please find attached an update on your information request.

Ngā mihi
Louise

-----Original Message-----
From: Debbie Leota <[FYI request #22845 email]>
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2023 9:16 PM
To: OIA <[MFE request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Consultant spend on ETS-related projects

MFE CYBER SECURITY WARNING
This email originated from outside our organisation. Please take extra care when clicking on any links or opening any attachments.

Dear Ministry for the Environment,

You may have seen the news in Australia - revelations that PwC Australia used confidential government information purposefully in its consulting arms to help its clients avoid future tax changes.

And today, the NZ government said it had obtained millions for various climate-related projects, including $38 million for the Emissions Trading Scheme.

So, I'm asking a few government departments to provide information about the consultants and contractors that it hires in its work, how much it spends on them, how long they've been hired, and how conflicts of interest are disclosed and managed.

I'd like to ask for the following information (whether contained in documents, emails, reports, or a summary or extract):

1. Please provide the titles of all projects relating to policy reform in the past 2 financial years (i.e. FY21/22 and 22/23) that have had an expert or policy consultant or contractor (i.e. not IT or marketing but involved in core analysis etc).

2. For each project, please list the firm (or trading name) and names of the individual consultants or contractors hired for each project.

3. Please provide a monthly breakdown for the period in question 1 of the spend on those consultants/contractors per individual (if held) or per firm.

4. Please provide a copy of all conflict of interest (actual or perceived) disclosures made by the firm and individuals (whether upon initial hire or made during the term of the contract(s)).

5. Please provide a copy of all information that sets out any conflict of interest mitigations or management plans or protocols used for any conflicts of interests disclosed.

Thank you,

Debbie Leota

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

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

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FYI request #22845 email]

Is [MFE request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Ministry for the Environment? 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.

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

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Kia ora Debbie

Thank you for your email.

I can confirm that if any part of the Ministry’s response can be sent to you in advance of the remaining information then we will do so. Please note that the timeframe for responding to your request was extended by 40 working days rather than 60.

Alternatively, would you be willing to refine the scope of your request? Narrowing the scope to contracts over a certain value would likely result in the Ministry responding more quickly to your request.

Ngâ mihi
Louise

-----Original Message-----
From: Debbie Leota <[FOI #22845 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2023 4:16 PM
To: OIA <[MFE request email]>
Subject: RE: Official Information request - Consultant spend on ETS-related projects

MFE CYBER SECURITY WARNING
This email originated from outside our organisation. Please take extra care when clicking on any links or opening any attachments.

Hi there

I would be grateful for you to respond in part to the requests. Some information, such as the titles of the projects, I would suggest does not require 60 working days to prepare, consult on, and release.

Thank you

Debbie Leota

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

Kia ora Debbie

Please find attached an update on your information request.

Ngâ mihi
Louise

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #22845 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.

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

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Kia ora Debbie

Thank you for response.

I can confirm that MfE is working to provide you with a response to Q1 of your request in advance of the other information in scope.

You may also find Appendix Six of the Ministry's Annual Review 2021/22 helpful, as it provides information about contracts and consultants employed in that year: https://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-NZ....

Ngā mihi
Louise

-----Original Message-----
From: Debbie Leota <[FOI #22845 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2023 12:32 PM
To: OIA <[MFE request email]>
Subject: RE: Official Information request - Consultant spend on ETS-related projects

MFE CYBER SECURITY WARNING
This email originated from outside our organisation. Please take extra care when clicking on any links or opening any attachments.

Hi Louise

By extending the timeframe, MfE has confirmed it requires 60 working days to respond to the request ie from the date the request was made.

I suggest MfE consider releasing the titles of the relevant projects and some summary information to help me know what is in scope - I have no idea how many projects are in scope, hence the first question of the OIA. A small value contract may have a material conflict of interest that was failed to be disclosed, for example.

Otherwise, in the absence of more than a couple of sentences from MfE saying it will take 40 more working days, I don't have much insight into the reasons for needing to extend.

I think if MfE aren't willing to provide any information (ie respond in part) before 60 working days from the date of the request, I would really see this as something for the Ombudsman.

Happy to discuss and thanks

Debbie

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

Kia ora Debbie

Thank you for your email.

I can confirm that if any part of the Ministry’s response can be sent to you in advance of the remaining information then we will do so. Please note that the timeframe for responding to your request was extended by 40 working days rather than 60.

Alternatively, would you be willing to refine the scope of your request? Narrowing the scope to contracts over a certain value would likely result in the Ministry responding more quickly to your request.

Ngâ mihi
Louise

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #22845 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.

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

hide quoted sections

Kia ora Debbie

Please find attached a response to your information request.

Ngā mihi
Louise

-----Original Message-----
From: Debbie Leota <[FOI #22845 email]>
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2023 9:16 PM
To: OIA <[MFE request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Consultant spend on ETS-related projects

MFE CYBER SECURITY WARNING
This email originated from outside our organisation. Please take extra care when clicking on any links or opening any attachments.

Dear Ministry for the Environment,

You may have seen the news in Australia - revelations that PwC Australia used confidential government information purposefully in its consulting arms to help its clients avoid future tax changes.

And today, the NZ government said it had obtained millions for various climate-related projects, including $38 million for the Emissions Trading Scheme.

So, I'm asking a few government departments to provide information about the consultants and contractors that it hires in its work, how much it spends on them, how long they've been hired, and how conflicts of interest are disclosed and managed.

I'd like to ask for the following information (whether contained in documents, emails, reports, or a summary or extract):

1. Please provide the titles of all projects relating to policy reform in the past 2 financial years (i.e. FY21/22 and 22/23) that have had an expert or policy consultant or contractor (i.e. not IT or marketing but involved in core analysis etc).

2. For each project, please list the firm (or trading name) and names of the individual consultants or contractors hired for each project.

3. Please provide a monthly breakdown for the period in question 1 of the spend on those consultants/contractors per individual (if held) or per firm.

4. Please provide a copy of all conflict of interest (actual or perceived) disclosures made by the firm and individuals (whether upon initial hire or made during the term of the contract(s)).

5. Please provide a copy of all information that sets out any conflict of interest mitigations or management plans or protocols used for any conflicts of interests disclosed.

Thank you,

Debbie Leota

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

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

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #22845 email]

Is [MFE request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Ministry for the Environment? 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.

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

hide quoted sections