Response from Kainga Ora Homes and Communities.pdf

9 July 2024

Ohakune Ratepayers and Residents’ Society Inc
[email address]
[FYI request #25753 email]

Dear Ohakune Ratepayers and Residents’ Society

Thank you for your emails dated 10 May 2024 and 20 May 2024 to Kāinga Ora – Homes and
Communities, requesting information related to the proposed Teitei Drive development in
Ohakune under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act). I have discussed both of your
requests with relevant staff and responded to each in an asked and answered format below.

Request One (received 10 May 2024)
1)  Please provide a copy of the documents mentioned in this statement "Lucy
Kitching was pul ing some stuff together on why some large profile developments
are no longer happening".

In undertaking her role, Lucy sends numerous emails and documents each week covering
multiple developments that could potentially be in scope. To the best of her recollections,
she did not produce a document in scope of this part of the request.

However, she did have conversations that resulted in the following article being published on
the Kāinga Ora website: https:/ kaingaora.govt.nz/en_NZ/news/delivering-more-housing-
when-its-needed-most/.

As a document that could be interpreted as ‘stuff’ does not exist, I am refusing this part of
your request under section 18(e) of the Act as, ‘… the document alleged to contain the
information requested does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be
found…’
2)  Page 6 states "The updated masterplan for the mixed-housing development at
Teitei Drive in Ohakune was finalised in December and the associated costs have
now been updated." Please provide a copy of the mentioned Masterplan and
associated costs mentioned, these documents are from December 2024.

Please find included with this response a copy of most up-to-date masterplan that was
provided in another response by Kāinga Ora on 8 May 2024.
3)  On 7th March, Peter Jackson discussed submitting a template for governance
oversight which include:
-  To formalise project closure, for noting by the relevant Pae Tataki
-  To review the project, to document lessons and how these can be
appropriately communicated across Kainga Ora
-  To document expenditure to date and associated next steps 4. To confirm the
project closure plan.

It was again summarised on Monday,18 by Peter Jackson. Please provide a copy of
this document (and complete draft and final memo), template or email with the
above information.

I have provided a copy of the template document with this response. No further documents
related to this template, such as a completed draft or final version were located. I am
therefore refusing this part of request under section 18(e) of the Act, as ‘…the document
alleged to contain the information requested does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to
locate it, cannot be found…’
4)  On 18 March Amit Singh stated the Closure Memo received some resistance,
please provide emails, relating to this resistance.
5)  Please provide documentation/emails/memos for lessons learned regarding Teitei
Drive.
6)  Please provide pre-delivery closure noting paper for Teitei Drive.
7)  Please provide documents that UDD wrote for Project Control Group (PCG) Paper
regarding Teitei Drive.

At the time this request was received by Kāinga Ora on 10 May 2024, no documents, emails,
or memos were identified as being in scope of these parts of your request. I am therefore
refusing these parts of your request under section 18(e) of the Act as ‘…the document
alleged to contain the information requested does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to
locate it, cannot be found…’

8)  Please advise if RDC has placed any requests for reimbursement from the Teitei
Drive project and provide copies of such emails.
9)  Please advise if RDC has been paid any monies by either KO or HUD or any other
entity that KO is aware of towards the Teitei drive project in 2024.
10)  Please advise if there are any outstanding requests for monies from RDC and if
so, please provide copies.
11)  If RDC is not awaiting any funds and have no open requests, please confirm the
date RDC was advised no funds would be paid and a copy of the communication.

I can confirm that the Ruapehu District Council has asked Kāinga Ora to cover some of the
costs related to the Teitei Drive development. As at the date of your request, no funds have
been exchanged and the matter has yet to be concluded.

For this reason, discussions are ongoing as at the date of this response. I am therefore
withholding an email in scope of your request under section s9(2)(ba)(i ) of the Act to:

‘…protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence or which any
person has been or could be compelled to provide under the authority of any
enactment, where the making available of the information… would be likely to
prejudice the supply of similar information, or information from the same source, and it
is in the public interest that such information should continue to be supplied or would
be likely otherwise to damage the public interest’

Request Two (received 20 May 2024)
1)  Thanks, it was just that one file that wouldn't download, but now I see it's the
same file you have provided in the past. There is reference to a similar document
dated in December 2023 that was provided and gave a similar view that the cost
had already increased, this is the copy we would like please. If it is the same
document, just with a different date attached please stil  provide it.

The file referred to for this part of your request, titled ‘Attachment Q3 ORRS_Redacted’ is
123 pages long. When you say, “there is reference to a similar document”, we would ask you
to be more specific – please cite the reference (document name and page number) so that
we can respond to the request, should you wish to make one.

2)  We are stil  working through when and how we wil  introduce the updated master
design. Please provide this.

I refer you to our response to question two of your request above.

3)  Please provide the Risks currently redacted under 9(2)(g)(i) document Attachment
Q6 Teitei Drive 2024 engagement plan Redacted.pdf These risks are no longer
confidential as the project is no more, you are welcome to redact any personal
names attached.

Kāinga Ora places significant importance on its staff being able to provide their expertise
and honest opinions about potential risks to any development, whether the information
provided is for or against it. Such information is a crucial part of the development work
undertaken by Kāinga Ora that helps it to determine whether or not it proceeds with a
development.

For this reason, I am continuing the withholding of this information under section 9(2)(g)(i) of
the Act, to ‘…maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank
expression of opinions by or between or to Ministers of the Crown or members of an
organisation or officers and employees of any department or organisation in the course of
their duty…’
4)  Who was to review the rc application lodged with RDC?, this was a question in
the same aforementioned document and I would expect was answered by 28th feb
when the resource consent was due for lodgement.
This question has been interpreted as asking who is responsible for reviews once the
resource consent is lodged with Ruapehu District Council (RDC). It is the understanding of
Kāinga Ora that the resource consent was to be reviewed by RDC’s consents
department/team as per its standard process.
5)  Please provide the response messages from CIP or any other party to Andre
Stuart's email dated Wednesday, 29 November 2023 10:24 AM.

In the same aforementioned email, "We have revised the consenting strategy to
mitigate the programme and funding risks presented by opposition to the
consent", please provide details on how many were in opposition and provide the
strategy referred to, plus the attachment 4.2 Recommendation for revised
consenting strategy.pdf which was not provided in your attachments but would
have been in scope.

I can advise you that there was no response to the email you refer to for this part of your
request. I am therefore refusing this part of your request under section 18(e) of the Act, as
‘…the document alleged to contain the information requested does not exist or, despite
reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found.’

For the second part of this question asking for the document titled, ‘4.2 Recommendation for
revised consenting strategy.pdf’, as with my response to question three, we place significant
importance on our  staff being able to provide their expertise and honest opinions about
potential risks to any development, whether the information provided is for or against it.

For this reason, I am withholding this document in full under section 9(2)(g)(i) of the Act, to
‘…maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank expression of
opinions by or between or to Ministers of the Crown or members of an organisation or
officers and employees of any department or organisation in the course of their duty…’

I have considered the public interest considerations in section 9(1) of the Act and it is my
view that the withholding of the information from this response is not outweighed by the
public interest in making that information available.

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at https://www.ombudsman.parliam
ent.nz/ or by phone on 0800 802 602.

Please note that Kāinga Ora proactively releases our responses to official information
requests where possible. Our response to your request may be published at
https:/ kaingaora.govt.nz/publications/official-information-requests/ with your personal
information removed.

Yours sincerely

Mark Fraser
General Manager - Urban Development and Delivery