17 January 2024
T Barnett
[FYI request #24292 email]
Tēnā koe
Official information request HNZ00035558
Thank you for your email on 9 January 2024, which relates to our previous response (ref:
HNZ00030750), and has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
1) who you originally asked –
2) where you looked for 40 hours
3) what you found in your review
4) the Te Whatu Ora Complaints Process
In response to your first two points, we consulted our national mental health, policy and clinical
teams, as wel as Te Aka Whai Ora | Māori Health Authority on your initial request.
Regarding your third point, the issue resulted from simple human error. The advisor working on the
request believed that one of the staff members that had been contacted was from Te Whatu Ora
Bay of Plenty Hauora a Toi when this was not the case. As a result, our response was wrong and
misleading, and again I am sorry for that.
However, it is important to emphasise that this was a genuine error made in good faith and we are
not prepared to admonish anyone for this matter. I do not see any procedural improvements we
could make internally that would avoid this occurring in future other than use this to learn from.
Finally, in terms of complaints processes, as with any responses made under the Act that you are
unhappy with, you have the right to complain to the Office of the Ombudsman as outlined on our
website (contact details are also provided below).
How to get in touch
If you have any further questions, you can contact us at
[Health New Zealand request email].
If you are not happy with this response, as above you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Michael Cleary
Acting OIA Manager
Government Services
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Te Whatu Ora, PO Box 793,
Wel ington 6140, New Zealand