17/10/2023
James Sutherland
[FYI request #24051 email]
Tēnā koe James
OIA: 1317404 - Capital projects valued at greater than $1M
I am writing in relation to your request for:
Can you please provide a list of all your current and planned capital projects valued at greater
than $1m.
Please include details including:
1) name of school and region
2) status (eg planned, in design, business case approved, procured, construction)
3) value of the project
4) size of project (GFA, no. Classrooms, etc)
5) planned completion date.
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act). In accordance
with section 15(1) of the Act, this letter is to advise you that a decision has been made to grant
your request in part.
In response to
parts one and two of your request, the Ministry has decided to provide you with a
list of schools with current projects valued at $1 million or more in the Ministry’s property projects
financial system. The data included in this list is currently being verified, and this will be provided to
you without undue delay. We anticipate releasing this information to you by 31 October 2023, and
will update you on or before that date.
Regarding
part three of the request, we are unable to provide you with the original cost/current
forecast. As the projects in this list are currently in construction or at the planning and design
stage, releasing this information could impact the Ministry’s ability to engage and negotiate with
third parties involved. This part of the request is therefore refused under section 18(a) of the Act,
since, by virtue of section 9(2)(j) of the Act, there is good reason for withholding the information to
enable the Ministry to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations. However, we are
considering providing some financial information in the list to be released, in the interests of
transparency.
Regarding
part four of your request, these projects will deliver a range of different solutions to the
infrastructure and building assets at the school – some will be expansions providing additional
teaching spaces, while others will be refurbishments of existing spaces and others will be the
8 Gilmer Terrace, Levels Ground floor, 1, 2, and 6‐14, Wellington
PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140 Phone: +64 4 463 8000
repair or replacement of existing infrastructure. In order to provide the information sought, it would
be necessary to undertake substantial collation from a range of sources. This part of your request
is therefore refused under section 18(f) of the Act, as the information cannot be provided without
substantial collation or research. Where applicable and available, we will provide the number of
planned classrooms to be delivered through the project in the list to be released.
Regarding to
part five of your request, the list will include completion dates where an estimated
completion date has been forecast, on any project where there is either confirmed funding for
construction or construction has begun. Completion dates for this subset of school-led projects are
not easily collatable, and as a result we are refusing this part of your request under section 18(f) of
the Act, as above. The Ministry is currently implementing a new tool which will improve the
availability of this information on school-led projects going forward.
Thank you again for your email. You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to review the decision
on your request, in accordance with section 28 of the Act. You can do this by writing to
[email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.
Nāku noa, nā
Emma Drysdale
Manager Official and Parliamentary Information
Te Pou Rangatōpū | Corporate
OIA: 1317404
