Justice Centre | 19 Aitken Street
DX SX10088 | Wel ington
T 04 918 8800 |
F 04 918 8820
[email address] | www.justice.govt.nz
27 September 2023
James
[FYI request #23826 email]
Our ref: OIA 106781
Tēnā koe James
Cultural Reports
Thank you for your email of 14 August 2023 requesting, under the Official Information Act
1982 (the Act), information regarding Cultural Reports. Specifically, you requested:
Under the OIA please provide the total number of cultural reports by ethnicity
(European, Maori, Pasifika, Asian etc) submitted to the courts from November 2017
through to July 30th, 2023.
On 23 August 2023, the Ministry of Justice (the Ministry) contacted you to advise that we
had interpreted your request as asking for the number of Section 27 Cultural Reports (s27
reports) submitted to the Courts.
On 31 August 2023, the Ministry advised that the only information that we hold where
ethnicity might have been recorded, would be under individuals who were legally aided and
had disbursements for reports produced under section 27 of the Sentencing Act 2002,
between 1 November 2017 to 30 July 2023. We further advised that providing this
information would be misleading and inaccurate as the ethnicity totals would not be a true
representation of the actual applicant ethnicity breakdown. On that same day, you confirmed
that you would stil like to proceed with your request, noting that the data provided to you
would be incomplete.
Pursuant to section 15(1) of the Act, the Ministry has decided to grant your request.
However, it will take us some time to finalise the data for release. We wil send you the
information by 12 October 2023, without undue delay. I apologise for any inconvenience this
delay may cause you.
If you are not satisfied with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman under section 28(3) of the Act. The Office of the Ombudsman may be
contacted by email at [email address] or by phone on 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Louise Ainsley
Manager, Ministerial Relations and Services
