12 December 2023
John Miller
By email
: [FYI request #24747 email]
Tēnā koe John
I refer to your information request dated 14 November 2023 made under the Official Information Act
1982 (the Act). Your request was for the following:
“According to news articles, the three activists arrested for the "Everything Room" protest on
the 1st of August 2023 have been asked to pay $15,000 as part of the diversion process.
Allegedly, part of this cost is to pay for repairs to walls that the protestors painted on, in order
to maintain them in good condition until they were demolished or stripped as part of planned
renovations. According to information received from my earlier requests, the
demolition/stripping of these walls was planned for the week starting on the 11th of
September.
I am writing to request the following information under the Official Information Act (OIA). In
the time between the protest and the planned demolition/stripping of the walls, was there
work done to remove the paint left by protestors? If so, please provide any documents that
prove the work was done, and the reasoning for why it was done despite the imminent
renovation?”
Please see below our response to your request.
1. In the time between the protest and the planned demolition/stripping of the walls, was
there work down to remove the paint left by protesters?
Yes, work was carried out by the University’s Property Trades Services team to remove graffiti from
the Otago Business School. This took place on 1 August, 9 August, 15 August, and 16 August 2023 to
complete the following work:
• Removing graffiti from stair 1 from the lower ground floor to approximately level 5.
• Removing graffiti from the inside of windows of the affected area.
• Overpainting all affected flat wall finishes within level 3.
• Removing graffiti from affected wallpaper within affected areas.
All affected walls were either overpainted or had wallpaper stripped off, including walls that were to
be removed as part of the planned renovation works to the Otago Business School.
a. If so, please provide any documents that prove the work was done, and the
reasoning for why it was done despite the imminent renovation?
Please see the attached Job Ledger for the work completed. Please note that we have withheld the
names, initials, and ID numbers of staff from our Property Trades Services team who carried out the
work, pursuant to section 9(2)(a) of the Act (to protect the privacy of natural persons).
As the site was still open to the public, staff, and students during operating hours, all graffiti needed to
be removed immediately to restore a consistent and appropriate decorative finish within the affected
areas. This work had to be done immediately, regardless of any renovations which may have taken
place in the future.
In the above cases, we consider that good reasons exist for withholding information, and this is not
outweighed by other considerations which would make it desirable, in the public interest, to make the
information available. If you are not satisfied with our response to your information request, section
28(3) of the Act provides you with the right to ask an Ombudsman to investigate and review this
response. However, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss any concerns with you first.
Ngā mihi
Kelsey Kennard
Official Information and Compliance Coordinator
Office of the Registrar
