Political neutrality of the RBNZ Chair

Harris Leigh made this Official Information request to Grant Robertson

The request was refused by Grant Robertson.

From: Harris Leigh

Dear Minister of Finance,

Under the OIA I seek information from you relating to your role as the Minister responsible for the RBNZ under the RBNZ Act 2001.

Can you please provide any information held on the requirement for political neutrality for the RBNZ Chair.

In particular I am interested in any correspondence you have had with Chair or the Governor on this matter or any advice you have received from the Public Service Commission or Commissioner or the Treasury on this matter.

For context, I refer you to reporting that shows the Chair of the RBNZ was actively working with the National Party to promote its election chances https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/4972...

Specifically I refer you to the statement: "The first student intake would be 2027 - a present to you to start your second term in government!" as the Chair of the RBNZ wrote in a March 2023 email to National Party MP Shane Reti.

Yours faithfully,

Harris Leigh

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From: G Robertson (MIN)
Grant Robertson

Please note that this acknowledgement is an automatically generated email.

Thank you for contacting Hon Grant Robertson, MP for Wellington Central,
Minister of Finance, Minister for Sport and Recreation, Minister for
Cyclone Recovery, Leader of the House.

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Ngā mihi,
Office of Hon Grant Robertson
Member of Parliament for Wellington Central 
Minister of Finance  | Minister for Sport and Recreation | Minister for
Cyclone Recovery | Leader of the House
Freepost: Private Bag 18 888 |Parliament Buildings |Wellington 6011 |Ph:
+64 4 817 8703  

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From: Hon Grant Robertson

Dear Harris Leigh

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your official information request. 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 of that timeframe.

Kind regards

Private Secretary | Office of Hon Grant Robertson
Minister of Finance | Minister for Sport and Recreation | Minister for Cyclone Recovery
Leader of the House
Member of Parliament for Wellington Central
Private Bag 18 888 |Parliament Buildings |Wellington 6011 www.beehive.govt.nz

The information contained in this email is privileged and confidential and intended for the addressee only. If you are not the intended recipient, you are asked to respect that confidentiality and not disclose, copy or make use of its contents. If received in error you are asked to destroy this email and contact the sender immediately. Your assistance is appreciated.

-----Original Message-----
From: Harris Leigh <[FOI #24036 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 5 September 2023 7:50 AM
To: G Robertson (MIN) <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Political neutrality of the RBNZ Chair

Dear Minister of Finance,

Under the OIA I seek information from you relating to your role as the Minister responsible for the RBNZ under the RBNZ Act 2001.

Can you please provide any information held on the requirement for political neutrality for the RBNZ Chair.

In particular I am interested in any correspondence you have had with Chair or the Governor on this matter or any advice you have received from the Public Service Commission or Commissioner or the Treasury on this matter.

For context, I refer you to reporting that shows the Chair of the RBNZ was actively working with the National Party to promote its election chances https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/4972...

Specifically I refer you to the statement: "The first student intake would be 2027 - a present to you to start your second term in government!" as the Chair of the RBNZ wrote in a March 2023 email to National Party MP Shane Reti.

Yours faithfully,

Harris Leigh

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

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #24036 email]

Is [Grant Robertson request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Grant Robertson? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

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From: Harris Leigh

Dear Private Secretary | Office of Hon Grant Robertson

I acknowledge your email of 15 September. I had already received an acknowledgement of my OIA request from your office on 5 September. Please confirm that today's acknowledgement is not an attempt to push back the response time by 10 days.

Yours sincerely,

Harris Leigh

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From: Hon Grant Robertson


Attachment Harris Lee.pdf
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Letter from Hon Grant Robertson, Minister of Finance, attached.

Private Secretary | Office of Hon Grant Robertson
Minister of Finance | Minister for Sport and Recreation | Minister for Cyclone Recovery
Leader of the House
Member of Parliament for Wellington Central
Private Bag 18 888 |Parliament Buildings |Wellington 6011 www.beehive.govt.nz

The information contained in this email is privileged and confidential and intended for the addressee only. If you are not the intended recipient, you are asked to respect that confidentiality and not disclose, copy or make use of its contents. If received in error you are asked to destroy this email and contact the sender immediately. Your assistance is appreciated.

Please note information about meetings related to the Ministers’ portfolios will be proactively released (this does not include personal or constituency matters). For each meeting in scope, the summary would list: date, time (start and finish), brief description, location, who the meeting was with, and the portfolio. If you attend a meeting with the Minister on behalf of an organisation, the name of the organisation will be released. If you are a senior staff member at an organisation, or meet with the Minister in your personal capacity, your name may also be released. The location of the meeting will be released, unless it is a private residence. The proactive release will be consistent with the provisions in the Official Information Act, including privacy considerations. Under the Privacy Act 1993 you have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information we hold about you, and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. If you’d like to ask for a copy of your information, or to have it corrected, or are concerned about the release of your information in the meeting disclosure, please contact the sender. You can read more about the proactive release policy at https://www.dia.govt.nz/Proactive-Releas...

-----Original Message-----
From: Harris Leigh <[FOI #24036 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 5 September 2023 7:50 AM
To: G Robertson (MIN) <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Political neutrality of the RBNZ Chair

Dear Minister of Finance,

Under the OIA I seek information from you relating to your role as the Minister responsible for the RBNZ under the RBNZ Act 2001.

Can you please provide any information held on the requirement for political neutrality for the RBNZ Chair.

In particular I am interested in any correspondence you have had with Chair or the Governor on this matter or any advice you have received from the Public Service Commission or Commissioner or the Treasury on this matter.

For context, I refer you to reporting that shows the Chair of the RBNZ was actively working with the National Party to promote its election chances https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/4972...

Specifically I refer you to the statement: "The first student intake would be 2027 - a present to you to start your second term in government!" as the Chair of the RBNZ wrote in a March 2023 email to National Party MP Shane Reti.

Yours faithfully,

Harris Leigh

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

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

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #24036 email]

Is [Grant Robertson request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Grant Robertson? 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.

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