Kia ora Ohakune Ratepayers and Residents’ Society Inc

Thank you for your request below, dated 12 April 2024, for information
under the Official Information Act 1982
(OIA).                                                                                                      

We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in
any event no later than 13 May 2024, being 20 working days after the day
your request was received by Kāinga Ora in accordance with section 15(1)
of the OIA.

If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of
an extension of that timeframe.

We may also contact you if further clarification or refinement of your
request is required to enable a decision to be made.

 

Ngā mihi

Donna

 

 

 

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Ohakune Ratepayers and Residents' Society Inc
<[1][FOI #26421 email]>
Sent: Friday, April 12, 2024 2:39 PM
To: GRU Jobs <[2][Kāinga Ora request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Comms between Ministers and KO
after Housing minister 10th April 2024 letter

 

[You don't often get email from
[3][FOI #26421 email]. Learn why this is
important at [4]https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Report Phishing button.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Kāinga Ora–Homes and Communities,

 

On 10th April I received a letter from Housing Minister Chris Bishop
stating that KO has withdrawn as developer for Teitei Drive as it is no
longer financially viable for Kainga Ora. It would appear the way the
letter is written (and from 28th Feb letter from KO) that this would be
the last on the matter and that the houses would no longer be affordable,
thus not affordable for KO either as public homes. The letter from Chris
Bishop addresses a number of other concerns that I will not go into here.

 

Following the 28th Feb letter sent to the public, KO communicated with RDC
on 5th March stating "Kāinga Ora is willing to continue as a development
manager for the Teitei Drive, Ohakune project and as a public housing
build partner. In this capacity, Kāinga Ora is willing to pre-purchase up
to 15 homes for public housing in this development"

 

As per a fyi-26393 request made 10th April, we are requesting information
regarding staff members attending the Teitei site and a meeting at council
and will await the response 9 May 2024 being 20 working days.

 

On 29th Feb 2024 we wrote an article
([5]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...)
regarding briefing letter (AH 23 088) sent to incoming minister Chris
Bishop, to which the briefing failed to include some critical information,
such that the build cost was to be exceeded by $2.3m and was discovered in
May/June 2023 only a month after signing the CIP agreement April 2023 and
that KO would fund these additional costs.

 

It is our opinion that to date, Kainga Ora has not been fully truthful
with the housing minister or his advisors with regards to Teitei Drive and
perhaps other projects.

 

I ask for the following

1./ Copies of approval requests and responses for the circa $2.3m to the
board or management between April 2023 - March 2024.

2./ Copies of the same above but to ministers or other government agencies
3./ Any communications or briefings to ministers or other government
agencies since 28th feb till today.

4./ A copy of directives received from ministers or government agencies
regarding Teitei Drive this year 5./ Copies of emails, agendas, notes,
communications (any form) or documents relating to Teitei Drive since 5th
March 2024 as we of the understanding that Kainga Ora still wishes to be
development manager for Teitei however communications from the Minister
says otherwise.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Ohakune Ratepayers and Residents' Society Inc

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[6][FOI #26421 email]

 

Is [7][Kāinga Ora request email] the wrong address for Official
Information requests to Kāinga Ora–Homes and Communities? If so, please
contact us using this form:

[8]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[9]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
services

Any opinions expressed in this message are not necessarily those of Kāinga
Ora. This message and any files transmitted with it are confidential, may
be legally privileged, and are solely for the use of the intended
recipient. If you are not the intended recipient or the person responsible
for delivery to the intended recipient, you have received this message in
error.

Please:
(1) reply promptly to that effect, and remove this email, any attachment
and the reply from your system;
(2) do not use, disclose or act on this email in any other way. Thank you.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #26421 email]
2. mailto:[Kāinga Ora request email]
3. mailto:[FOI #26421 email]
4. https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific...
5. https://www.saveohakune.com/post/ko-brie...
6. mailto:[FOI #26421 email]
7. mailto:[Kāinga Ora request email]
8. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
9. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

hide quoted sections

Kia ora Ohakune Ratepayers and Residents’ Society Inc

Please find attached a response letter and two additional attachments
relating to Part 3 and Part 5 of your request.

 

Ngā mihi

Donna

 

 

 

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Ohakune Ratepayers and Residents' Society Inc
<[1][FOI #26421 email]>
Sent: Friday, April 12, 2024 2:39 PM
To: GRU Jobs <[2][Kāinga Ora request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Comms between Ministers and KO
after Housing minister 10th April 2024 letter

 

[You don't often get email from
[3][FOI #26421 email]. Learn why this is
important at [4]https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CAUTION: External email. Do not click or open attachments unless you
recognise the sender and know the content is safe. If unsure use the
Report Phishing button.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Kāinga Ora–Homes and Communities,

 

On 10th April I received a letter from Housing Minister Chris Bishop
stating that KO has withdrawn as developer for Teitei Drive as it is no
longer financially viable for Kainga Ora. It would appear the way the
letter is written (and from 28th Feb letter from KO) that this would be
the last on the matter and that the houses would no longer be affordable,
thus not affordable for KO either as public homes. The letter from Chris
Bishop addresses a number of other concerns that I will not go into here.

 

Following the 28th Feb letter sent to the public, KO communicated with RDC
on 5th March stating "Kāinga Ora is willing to continue as a development
manager for the Teitei Drive, Ohakune project and as a public housing
build partner. In this capacity, Kāinga Ora is willing to pre-purchase up
to 15 homes for public housing in this development"

 

As per a fyi-26393 request made 10th April, we are requesting information
regarding staff members attending the Teitei site and a meeting at council
and will await the response 9 May 2024 being 20 working days.

 

On 29th Feb 2024 we wrote an article
([5]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...)
regarding briefing letter (AH 23 088) sent to incoming minister Chris
Bishop, to which the briefing failed to include some critical information,
such that the build cost was to be exceeded by $2.3m and was discovered in
May/June 2023 only a month after signing the CIP agreement April 2023 and
that KO would fund these additional costs.

 

It is our opinion that to date, Kainga Ora has not been fully truthful
with the housing minister or his advisors with regards to Teitei Drive and
perhaps other projects.

 

I ask for the following

1./ Copies of approval requests and responses for the circa $2.3m to the
board or management between April 2023 - March 2024.

2./ Copies of the same above but to ministers or other government agencies
3./ Any communications or briefings to ministers or other government
agencies since 28th feb till today.

4./ A copy of directives received from ministers or government agencies
regarding Teitei Drive this year 5./ Copies of emails, agendas, notes,
communications (any form) or documents relating to Teitei Drive since 5th
March 2024 as we of the understanding that Kainga Ora still wishes to be
development manager for Teitei however communications from the Minister
says otherwise.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Ohakune Ratepayers and Residents' Society Inc

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[6][FOI #26421 email]

 

Is [7][Kāinga Ora request email] the wrong address for Official
Information requests to Kāinga Ora–Homes and Communities? If so, please
contact us using this form:

[8]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[9]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
services

Any opinions expressed in this message are not necessarily those of Kāinga
Ora. This message and any files transmitted with it are confidential, may
be legally privileged, and are solely for the use of the intended
recipient. If you are not the intended recipient or the person responsible
for delivery to the intended recipient, you have received this message in
error.

Please:
(1) reply promptly to that effect, and remove this email, any attachment
and the reply from your system;
(2) do not use, disclose or act on this email in any other way. Thank you.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #26421 email]
2. mailto:[Kāinga Ora request email]
3. mailto:[FOI #26421 email]
4. https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific...
5. https://www.saveohakune.com/post/ko-brie...
6. mailto:[FOI #26421 email]
7. mailto:[Kāinga Ora request email]
8. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
9. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

hide quoted sections

Tēnā koutou

 

Thank you for your email of 9 May 2024 requesting the following
information:

 

Q 1./ In relation to the above, please provide documentation supporting
this statement. O re-enforce that the contract was signed April 2023 and
that KO increased the budget a month later (May/June) and KO emailed CIP
to update the budget to reflect such. So again, please provide supporting
documentation , budgets and refinements and the amounts changed for each
part of the project to account for the additional $2.3m budget increase.

 

Q2./ KO has previously stated it would not make a loss on the project;
based on the numbers I have quoted in my question, would KO have sold LOTS
below $170k (market rates) or would they have covered costs, i.,e. selling
LOTS above $170k. Please provide a detailed response.

 

Q3./ Two documents are referenced in the cost estimate, KOHC Concept
Drawings 21.9.2022, please confirm these are the ones already released
under OIA on your website that were hand drawn, if not please provide a
copy. Second document is 200801 Rev 1.18, if this is date related (2008)
we have not seen a copy, I also do not recall seeing this titled document,
so please send a copy.

 

Q4./ The report provided in Feb 2023 (2 months before signing the April
2023 agreement with CIP/HUD) shows a total cost of $5.57m. Is Kāinga Ora
admitting that at the time of signing the agreement with HUD that the
documentation signed was not true (KO signed for the $5.3m with no partner
funding required), or did you not fully account for the contingencies when
signing the April 2023 agreement?

 

Q5./ In May 2023 & June 2023, KO discussed in DPM meeting and emailed CIP
stating that a $2.3m shortfall would be covered by KO, this was 3 months
after the supplied report and 1 month after signing the agreement with
HUD. What price increase was discovered for KO to email CIP requesting the
budget be increased to $7.5m?

 

Q6./ The land in the report is shown as $1, was any amount from Q5
allocated to sudden land increase costs and if so how much?

 

Kāinga Ora is considering your request under the Official Information Act
1982 (OIA). We will endeavour to respond as soon as possible, and in any
event no later than 7 June 2024, being 20 working days after the day we
received your request. 

 

If we are unable to respond to the request by this date, we will notify
you of an extension of the timeframe. We may also be in contact with you
sooner if we require clarification of the request to assist with our
response.

 

Please also note that it is our policy to proactively release our
responses to OIA requests where possible. We do not publish requestors’
personal information.

 

Ngā mihi

The Government Relations Team

 

www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
services

Any opinions expressed in this message are not necessarily those of Kāinga
Ora. This message and any files transmitted with it are confidential, may
be legally privileged, and are solely for the use of the intended
recipient. If you are not the intended recipient or the person responsible
for delivery to the intended recipient, you have received this message in
error.

Please:
(1) reply promptly to that effect, and remove this email, any attachment
and the reply from your system;
(2) do not use, disclose or act on this email in any other way. Thank you.