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Te Tari Taiwhenua
'-..,.: ; , . Internal Affairs
1 February 2024
Ministerial Services
45 Pipitea St, Thorndon
PO Box 805, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Phone +64 4 495 7200
Website: www.dia.govt.nz
Ben
fyi-request-
[email address]
Dear Ben
Request for information (OIA 2324-0375)
Thank you for your request for information dated 29 November 2023 made under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act) to the Department of Internal Affairs (the Department). You
requested the following information:
I am writing to request information about the website beehive.govt.nz. As it is
currently down, I cannot see who is responsible for it. If it is not a DIA
responsibility, I would appreciate it if you could transfer the request to the
appropriate authority.
I am curious about the transition between administrations, and the changes that
are made to the website.
What is the process that is followed when changing the beehive.govt.nz website to
reflect a new government. In particular:
1. When does consultation on the website start with the incoming government?
2. Who (position/role is fine) is consulted?
3. Who (position/role is fine) is responsible for decisions?
4. What steps are taken to maintain information from the website as it was under
the previous government?
5. In relation to the 2008 (if readily accessible}, 2017 and 2023 transitions:
a. How long was the website down for?
b. How much did the transition cost?
Response to your request
The Department is responsible for administering the costs for supporting the Executive
Government, which includes the costs for the Beehive website and its transition between
administrations. We can advise as follows:
1.
When does consultation on the website start with the incoming government?
Consultation with the incoming Executive regarding the Beehive website began on 27
November 2023, after the formation of the government was confirmed.
2.
Who· (position/role is fine) is consulted?
3.
Who (position/role is fine) is responsible for decisions?
The incoming Prime Minister's Chief of Staff is consulted on the transition of the design and
content of the Beehive website. Tasks are then delegated to staff in the Office of the Prime
Minister (PMO) to develop and finalise the design of the website either solely or in
conjunction with other parties. The Chief of Staff provides approval of the final composition
to Ministerial Services, recognising that information relating to personal profiles of Members
of the Executive are inputted into by individuals themselves.
4.
What steps are taken to maintain information from the website as it was under the
previous government?
Information previously posted to the Beehive website that is associated with previous
administration is available on the Beehive website (see the below link)1.
When transition activities are undertaken on the Beehive website, information that was
posted by the previous administration is archived as part of the standard process and
remains available but is found through a separate URL.
5.
In relation to the 2008 (ifreadily accessible), 2017 and 2023 transitions:
a) How long was the website down for?
The Department does not have information relating to the length of time the website was
down for, or the costs associated with the transition of the Beehive website, in 2008.
Therefore, the Department is refusing this part of your request under section 18(e) of the
Act, that the document alleged to contain the information requested does not exist or,
despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
Our records show that:
• In 2017 the Beehive website was under maintenance from 10:30am on 26 October
2017 to 4:00pm on 3 November 2017, for a total of 197 hours and 30 minutes.
• In 2023 the Beehive website was under maintenance from 11:10am on 27 November
2023 to 10:12am on 6 December 2023, for a total of 218 hours and 38 minutes.
b)
How much did the transnion cost?
Our records show that:
• the total cost of the transition in 2017 was $9,112.50. This included the cost of key
upgrades to the websites Content Management System (CMS) which is the main
platform the website operates on which occurred concurrently with other updates.
1 https://www.beehive.govt.nz/advanced search
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• The final costs related to the 2023 Beehive website transition are currently not
available as the Department has not yet received finalised invoices for the entirety of
the work. Therefore, the Department is refusing this part of your request under
section 18(e) of the Act, that the document alleged to contain the information
requested does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
Once the Department has confirmation of the total costs for the 2023 transition of the
Beehive website, we will endeavour to release this information to you as soon as practicable ..
We may publish this OIA response on www.dia.govt.nz (with your personal details having
been removed). Publishing responses to OIA requests increases the availability of
information to the public and is consistent with the purpose of the Act to enable effective
participation in the making and administration of laws and policies, and to promote the
accountability of Ministers and officials.
If you have any concerns with the information in this response, you have a right to request
an investigation and review by the Ombudsman under section 28(3) of the Act. Information
on how to do this is available at www.ombudsman.oarliament.nz or freephone 0800 802
602.
Yours sincerely
Briget Ridden
General Manager - Ministerial Services
Te Haumi - Enterprise Partnerships
Te Tari Taiwhenua - The Department of Internal Affairs
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