Communications about Military Exercises at Waikawau Bay May 14 - 22 2024
S C McKee made this Official Information request to New Zealand Defence Force
Response to this request is long overdue. By law New Zealand Defence Force should have responded by now (details and exceptions). The requester can complain to the Ombudsman.
From: S C McKee
Dear New Zealand Defence Force,
On 3rd May 2024, the NZDF published a notice in the Coromandel Town Chronicle, advising the "general public" that in 11 days after the printing there would be military exercises in the undefined " Waikawau Bay area". Waikawau Bay is approx one hour's drive north east of Coromandel town. On the printed advert there was no authorisation of the advert by means of a NZDF logo or contact details.
No notices were placed in other local magazines, eg the Mercury Bay Informer or the Colville Pānui. Many residents and visitors to the "Waikawau Bay Area" will not have seen the advertisement in the Coromandel Town Chronicle.
The details of the military exercise given are vague.
Here are my questions under OIA but I need to receive the reply before the military exercise begins on May 14th.
1. How does the NZDF plan to notify local residents by pamphlet when there are only 3 Rural Delivery days left before the exercise begins.?
2. What does the "Waikawau Bay area" mean to the NZDF? Is it the 3km beach, does it include the Little Bay residential settlement, does it include the Department of Conservation Waikawau Bay Farm Park including the public Conservation camp ground? Does it include the Reserve at the North end of Waikawau Bay?
3. How far out to sea does the "Waikawau Bay area" extend for the NZDF?
4. What hours of the day and night will there be "low-flying aircraft"?
5. What hours of the day and night will there be shooting exercises ( using blanks)?
6. Will the NZDF personnel stay away from the sand dune areas which is a protected dotterel bird habitat?
7. How will the NZDF notify the families with children who use the beach, the local fishermen, the regular beach walkers and visitors to the area, that military exercises will be carried out May 14-22?
8. When did you make contact with the Colville School Principal, and how have you planned your activities to take into account the movements of the school bus that delivers children home in the Waikawau Bay area?
9.Have the planners of this military exercise thought about how the loud sounds produced by the low-flying aircraft and the explosive gunshot sounds will disturb the local bird populations?
10. Is the NZDF aware of iwi-led planting programmes in the Waikawau Bay foreshore area to provide habitats for endangered species such as the NZ Bittern? Which hapu and/or iwi organisations have given their permission for military exercises in the Waikawau Bay area?
There was no public consultation about using this popular area for military exercises, hence the need for more information.
Yours faithfully,
Stephanie McKee
From: S C McKee
Dear Ministerial Services,
Thank you for your prompt response to my OIA questions regarding the Military exercises at Waikawau Bay May 14 - 22 2024.
However the response was a generic response, not answers to most of my very specific questions. Maybe this is the draft of the last-minute pamphlet that the NZDF plans to deliver to local mailboxes the day before the exercise?
I look forward to the responses to my questions, hopefully before the 14th May. The local community were only notified of this event by an advert on p21 of the May 3rd edition of the Coromandel Town Chronicle. Even people in the town missed seeing this advert which was placed only 11 days before the military exercises.
Even the local council was not informed of this event.
Yours sincerely,
S C McKee
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Defence Force
Good afternoon Stephanie McKee
As you will understand, due to a number of reasons, the NZDF cannot release exact locations and timings of the training but where possible we release information to ensure the public are aware of the activity and the small possibility they may see NZDF personnel moving around.
The NZDF has consulted with private land owners, Department of Conservation (DOC), and the local Police to advise them of the training and seek approval for land use where required.
The exercise will involve up to 30 personnel, separated into small groups. These groups will be positioned and moving between a mixture of private and DOC land.
The exercise being conducted will mainly involve personnel moving on foot - i.e. it will not be a large movement of military vehicles, or see a large concentration of NZDF personnel in one area. As such the actual number of NZDF personnel will be very small. There will however be the use of a helicopter to pick up personnel.
In consultation with land owners, DOC, and the NZ Police the NZDF has ensured the exercise can be conducted without causing any undesirable damage to native fauna and flora.
While the NZDF understands that not every resident will be made aware of the exercise, the organisation strives to make reasonable attempts to ensure a large majority are made aware, and that close-knit communities can share the information in their own networks.
The NZDF will conduct a pamphlet drop by foot prior to the exercise to inform local residents in the area of relevant information.
The NZDF wishes to reiterate its thanks to the Waikawau Bay community for their understanding.
Regards
Corporate and Ministerial Services
Office of the Chief of Defence Force
New Zealand Defence Force
www.nzdf.mil.nz
show quoted sections
From: S C McKee
Dear Ministerial Services,
Thank you for your prompt personal communication in responding to my OIA request. Although your reply did not answer some specific questions, it has gone some way to reassure my concerns.
Yours sincerely,
S C McKee
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- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence
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Oliver Lineham (FYI.org.nz volunteer) left an annotation ()
I have made the response from NZDF on 10 May visible only to you, the requester, for privacy reasons. They included your home address in the PDF attachment. (I don't know why, or where they got it from.) We can't reliably redact it from the PDF. If you would rather the response be publicly shown, including your address, please contact us (https://fyi.org.nz/help/contact).
In addition, I don't know why they wrote "It was posted to you today" (since you never asked for post) or "there was no email address provided in your original enquiry" (it was the From address of the request - that they sent that reply to).
Lastly, their responses are not compliant with the OIA. They do not cite any refusal reasons (from the very specific list available in the OIA), as the law requires. They also do not advise you of your right to complain to the Ombudsman, which the law also requires.
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