5 September 2023
Erika Whittome
[FYI request #23707 email]
Tēnā koe Erika
On 5 August 2023
, you emailed the Ministry of Social Development (the
Ministry) requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), the
following information:
I understand the government vaccination mandates were dropped
sometime around Sept 2022 with the revoking of certain C19 orders by
the State.
What number of staff did you terminate or place on any form of "
extended leave" due to your vaccination mandates around Nov/Dec 2021
and Jan 2022? Please also share the total headcount as of 15 Nov 2021
and today (when you answer this OIA).
On 31 August 2023 the Ministry notified you that while we had decided to grant
your request in part, further time was required to finalise the information to
be released to you.
The Ministry undertook a health and safety risk assessment in
November/December 2021 with consultation with all staff from 29 November
to 8 December 2021.
The Ministry’s vaccination policy was announced 16 December 2021 and from
that date employees were asked to confirm their vaccination status with their
managers. Confirmation of vaccination was for managers to sight employees’
My Vaccination Pass or My Covid Record on or before 7 January 2022. To
comply with the policy employees needed to have received their first dose of
the vaccine no later than 10 January 2022 and the second dose no later than
4 February 2022.
In June 2022, following a series of risk assessment workshops that included
PSA representatives, and over 200 Health and Safety Representatives, the
Ministry reviewed the policy based on changes in the COVID-19 situation
nationally. In September 2022, the Ministry adopted an "encourage but not
require" policy for COVID-19 vaccination.
A second review of the policy was conducted in June 2023 and updated to align
with the government's removal of vaccination mandates. These changes have
not affected the purpose, scope, or application of the policy as reviewed in
2022.
For the sake of clarity, the Ministry will respond to your each of your questions
separately.
What number of staff did you terminate or place on any form of "extended
leave" due to your vaccination mandates around Nov/Dec 2021 and Jan
2022?
For the period 1 November 2021 to 31 January 2022 there were no staff
terminated due to the vaccination mandate.
In relation to your request for staff who were placed on any form of ‘extended
leave’ due to the vaccination mandate policy, I am unable to provide you with
this information as the Ministry did not record the information in the form you
have requested it.
In order to provide you with this information, Ministry staff would have to
manually review a substantial number of files. As such, I refuse your request
under section 18(f) of the Act. The greater public interest is in the effective
and efficient administration of the public service.
I have considered whether the Ministry would be able to respond to your
request given extra time, or the ability to charge for the information requested.
I have concluded that, in either case, the Ministry’s ability to undertake its
work would still be prejudiced.
Please also share the total headcount as of 15 Nov 2021 and today.
The Ministry’s headcount for permanent and fixed term staff as at 15
November 2021 was 9,357 and as at 5 August 2023 it was 9,239.
The principles and purposes of the Official Information Act 1982 under which
you made your request are:
• to create greater openness and transparency about the plans, work and
activities of the Government,
• to increase the ability of the public to participate in the making and
administration of our laws and policies and
• to lead to greater accountability in the conduct of public affairs.
This Ministry fully supports those principles and purposes. The Ministry
therefore intends to make the information contained in this letter and any
attached documents available to the wider public. The Ministry will do this by
publishing this letter on the Ministry’s website. Your personal details will be
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deleted, and the Ministry will not publish any information that would identify
you as the person who requested the information.
If you wish to discuss this response with us, please feel free to contact
[MSD request email].
If you are not satisfied with this response regarding the vaccination mandate,
you have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi nui
Melissa Gill
Deputy Chief Executive
Organisational Assurance and Communication
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