WELLINGTON
The Customhouse, 1 Hinemoa Street, Wellington
PO Box 2218, Wellington 6140
Phone: 04 901 4500 All general enquiries phone: 0800 428 786
Email: [email address] Website: www.customs.govt.nz
10 June 2024
Ref: OIA 24-185
Mr Charles Finley
By email:
[FYI request #26806 email]
Tēnā koe Mr Finley
Request for information under the Official Information Act
Thank you for your email received on 15 May 2024, to New Zealand Customs Service
(Customs), via the FYI website, in which you requested the following information under the
Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
“Please provide information on whether you have used contractors, consultants or
other providers of services to fill gaps you have from accepting voluntary redundancy
in the last six months. I am interested in both short term filling of gaps and long term
filling of skill gaps and why redundancy would be used and then services being
bought in.
With this, please detail
•
The business unit and job area being filled.
•
The case / argument for using a supplier to fill a gap where redundancy was
accepted.
•
The cost of this supplier providing this resource (or additional service).
•
The approval endorsing this decision, given redundancy was given.
•
If possible, the total cost of providing this service above the standard cost
(such as the cost of payout plus the increase in cost through using a
consultant).
For completeness, I am interested and think this is in the public interest as voluntary
redundancy would imply that services are no longer needed, but then if money is
being used to give work to consultants then I am interested in understanding how this
is best use of taxpayer funds.”
I can confirm that as at 15 May 2024, no business unit or job area within Customs
has required contractors, consultants, or other external resources to fill positions vacated
due to voluntary redundancy in the last six months. As such, there have been no
cases or arguments for using suppliers, no associated costs for supplier services, no
approvals for such decisions, and no additional costs above the standard (such as the
cost of payout plus the increase in cost through using a consultant). Therefore, I am refusing
your request in full under section 18(e) of the Act, as the information requested does not
exist.
You have the right, by way of complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman under section 28(3)
of the Act, to seek an investigation and review of this decision. Information about how to
make a complaint is available online at: www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or you can phone
0800 802 602.
If you have any queries in regard to this response, please contact the Correspondence,
Reviews and Ministerial Servicing Team: [email address].
Please note that Customs proactively releases responses to Official Information Act requests
on our website. As such, we may publish this response on our website after we have sent it
to you. Your name and contact details will be removed.
Nāku noa, nā
Mathew Black
Acting Deputy Chief Executive
People and Capability
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