23 January 2024
45 Pipitea Street, Thorndon, Wel ington 6011
PO Box 805, Wel ington
Phone +64 04 495 7200
John Luke
Email: [email address]
[FYI request #24685 email]
dia.govt.nz
Tēnā koe John
Your Official Information Act 1982 request reference OIA 2324-0309
I am responding to your email of 7 November 2023 to Te Tari Taiwhenua | the Department
of Internal Affairs requesting the fol owing under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
May I kindly request the full meeting minutes of Racing Integrity Board from 1st Jan
2021 to 1st Nov 2023. Also, please supply the conflict of interest register for each
member.
On 9 November 2023, Te Tari Taiwhenua invited you to reframe your request as the
requested information was not held. On 20 November 2023, you indicated that you wished
to reframe your request and Te Tari Taiwhenua asked you send the amended wording of
your request. A reminder of this request was sent on 2 December 2023.
On 4 December 2023, you provided the fol owing reframing of your request:
… the copies of conflict of interest declarations made as a part of the appointments
process at DIA.
On the same day, you were advised that the new due date is 23 January 2024.
As previously noted, Te Tari Taiwhenua does not hold an active conflict of interest register
for the Racing Integrity Board (the Board). However, as a part of the appointment process,
appointees are required to declare any conflicts of interest at that point in time. I am
attaching, as
Appendix A, a summation of the conflicts of interest declared at the time that
members of the Board were appointed. Please note that the Chair of the Board resigned
effective 31 December 2023 and is therefore, more accurately, the former Chair.
You may be interested to know that there is provision for conflicts of interest to be declared
to the Chair of the Board and managed by the Chair. There is also provision, if any conflicts
cannot be managed, for the Minister for Racing (the Minister) to be advised. To date, no
such declarations have been made to the Minister.
The Board holds the conflict of interest register along with the meeting minutes. As the
Board is not subject to the Act, I am unable to transfer your request to them.
You have the right, under section 28 of the Act, to seek a review of my decision by the Office
of the Ombudsman. The postal address of the Office of the Ombudsman is PO Box 10152,
Wellington. Alternatively, you can phone 0800 802 602 or email:
[email address].
Nāku noa, nā
Jeremy Cauchi
Tumuaki | Director Ministerial, Monitoring, and Capability
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