28/03/2024
Rep Albert
[FYI request #25943 email]
Tēnā koe Rep Albert
OIA: 1323998 – Employees working remotely from overseas
Thank you for your email of 1 March 2024 to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) requesting the
fol owing information:
With the Government directive to reduce the public sector spending, I am doing some research for
a news piece of employees working remotely from overseas.
1. How many employees (permanent or fixed-term) are working remotely from overseas?
(Focusing on Fiji and Australia)
2. Which division or directorate those employees are assigned to? (Please list the
division/directorate and the number of employees working from overseas)
3. What is the business justification to have those employees working remotely from
overseas?
4. Which position within the Ministry approved the overseas remote work?
5. With the public service cuts, how do we justify having employees working overseas
while people in New Zealand wil lose their jobs?
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
The Ministry needs to extend the timeframe for responding to your request, pursuant to section
15A(1)(a) of the Act, as the request is for a large quantity of information or necessitates a search
through a large quantity of information, and meeting the original time limit would unreasonably
interfere with the operations of the Ministry. You can now expect to receive a response to your
request on or before 1 May 2024, which is an extension of 20 working days. Please note this due
date also takes into account Anzac Day, which fal s on 25 April 2024.
You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to investigate our decision to extend the timeframe for
responding to this request, in accordance with section 28 of the Act. You can do this by writing to
[email address] or Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wel ington 6143.
Nāku noa, nā
Cindy McDonald
Principal Advisor, Official and Parliamentary Information
Government, Executive and Ministerial Services
8 Gilmer Terrace, Levels Ground floor, 1, 2, and 6-14, Wellington
PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140 Phone: +64 4 463 8000
