44 Bowen Street
Private Bag 6995
Wellington 6141
New Zealand
T 64 4 894 5400
F 64 4 894 6100
www.nzta.govt.nz
22 May 2022
Darren Conway
[FYI request #26522 email]
REF: OIA-15219
Dear Darren
Request made under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your email
of 23 April 2024, requesting the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
the document(s) from the Project Sponsor, Jetesh Bhula to the Chief Executive Officer, Nicole
Rosie, advising that the project has been completed. This request includes any attached,
referenced or enclosed documents to that advice.
This request includes the Project Closure document (or equivalent) specified in the section 1.1
Establishment, Project Closure pg 242, NZ Transport Agency’s Project management manual
SM011, First edition, effective from July 2010
You further clarified your request on 6 May 2024 and confirmed your request on 11 May 2024 to be for
the following information about the Melling to Petone (M2P) cycleway:
Typically for this type of project, and specifical y for the M2P project, reaching the point of ful
and complete transition from the project to operations will be marked by the passing of
significant project milestones on the way to project completion. An example of those
significant milestones would include the opening of the M2P to the public, The achievement of
significant milestones would have triggered communication within NZTA.
For the purposes of this information request, a significant milestone is one that triggered
communication (directly authoring, endorsing, or initiating) from the Project Sponsor to upper
management. Given that: "The project sponsor’s primary responsibility is to successfully
deliver the project to the chief executive." it would be reasonable to expect that the chief
executive would be included in the distribution of communication related to significant
milestones on the M2P project. Communication may have passed through managers
(including any board) between the project sponsor and the chief executive. On its way, the
communication may have been filtered, summarised, edited, or otherwise altered. As such I
am seeking communications from the project sponsor, which may not be the same as the
derivative communication received by the chief executive.
It is my estimation that preparations for project closure would have begun some time before
the M2P cycle path was opened to the public and that project closure may be completed at the
end of 2024. Obviously I am not requesting documents from the future. By limiting the
information request to the project sponsor within a defined time range for communication
related to significant milestones, it is my intention to limit the scope of the request to
information I am seeking.
The Melling to Petone Cycleway project, while open to the public, is not yet complete as minor works
and defects are being addressed. Once these have been completed, the project will be closed. This
will occur when the project’s sponsor signs off delivery of the project. We estimate this is likely to occur
in early November 2024.
With that said, information in scope of your request with respect to reporting on the project’s progress
to the Executive Leadership Team and, in cases, to the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA)
Board is provided as Attachment 1
OIA-15219 Transport Services Reports (April, May, July, August,
September, December 2023, February 2024).
Certain information has been withheld under section 9(2)(g)(i) of the Act. This section allows for the
withholding of information 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.
With respect to the information that has been withheld, I do not consider there are any other factors
which would render it desirable, in the public interest, to make the information available.
For ease of use, information outside the scope of your request has been marked as such within the
above document.
Under section 28 of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review my decision to
withhold this information. The contact details for the Ombudsman can be located at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
If you would like to discuss this reply with NZTA, please contact Ministerial Services by email to
[NZTA request email].
Yours sincerely
Mark Kinvig
National Manager Infrastructure Delivery
2
