44 Bowen Street
Private Bag 6995
Wellington 6141
New Zealand
T 64 4 894 5400
F 64 4 894 6100
www.nzta.govt.nz
28 March 2024
G Smith
[FYI request #25938 email]
REF: OIA-14811
Dear G Smith
Request made under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your email
of 29 February 2024 requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
I request all reports, plans, contracts, funding sources and any evaluative material prepared in
regards to this environmental programme.
Due to the substantial amount of work that would be required to research and collate the information
you have requested, we are refusing your request under section 18(f) of the Act. Your request would
require reviewing several thousand documents covering the years from 2017, when the Mt Messenger
project was started, to the present day.
We have considered whether charging or extending the timeframe for responding to your request
would help, However, doing the research required would pull many team members away from their
day to day and have a substantial impact on our ability to deliver the project.
On 7 March 2024 we wrote to you requesting a clarification and refinement of your request. We have
not received a response to that request.
I am therefore refusing your request under section 18(f) as the information requested cannot be made
available without substantial collation or research.
I do not consider there are any factors which would render it desirable, in the public interest, to make
the information available.
Under section 28 of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review my decision to refuse
this request. The contact details for the Ombudsman can be located at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
If you would like to discuss this reply with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), please contact
us by email to [email address].
Yours sincerely
James Sorensen
Manager Ministerial Services
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