He Whenua Taurikura Applications, Staff, Funds , Etc

WGJ made this Official Information request to Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

The request was partially successful.

From: WGJ

Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,

This letter is a formal request for information under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).

1. Staff at HWT**

* A recent media article indicated that there are five staff members at the HWT. Could you please provide a breakdown of these roles and their corresponding annual salary bands (e.g., $50,000-$60,000)?
* Do any of the staff currently hold Terrorism, Defence or Security qualifications?
* How were these staff positions filled? Was there a formal application process? If so, when and where was this process advertised?
* Are these staff members solely employed by Victoria University, or are they affiliated with other universities as well?
* Are the students all on site ? if not how often are they engaged with ?
* Given that HWT is described as a scholarship management entity, could you please explain the rationale behind having five staff members?
* Are staff conducting research that is funded by HWT

2. Location of HWT**

* Is there a plan to rotate the location of HWT among different universities, or will it remain permanently at Victoria University?

3. Scholarship Awards**

* Please provide details on the number of scholarships awarded to students each year, and the universities associated with these scholarship recipients (excluding personal names). HWT only have Masters and PHD advertised on the website. Are there others?

4. Scholarship Application Screening**

* Could you clarify the process for screening scholarship applications? Are applications screened before being presented to the board, or does the board conduct its own screening?
* is there a priortisation of candidates for any reason ? charateristics - gender, race, culture for example ?
* If applications are pre-screened, who performs this screening? Is this process subject to peer review or external audit? For example how is bias managed.

5. HWT Associates**

* Please outline the recruitment process for HWT associates.
* Was there a formal application process in place? If so, were these applications subject to peer review or audit? when were they advertised ?
* Do the HWT associates sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) as part of their involvement?
* Are the associates financially compensated for their contributions? If so, could you elaborate on the associated costs?

6. PCVE Qualifications**

* Do any of the HWT staff or associates possess qualifications in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE)?
* If not have HWT engaged with someone who is qualified ?

7. Involvement of Postdoctoral People (Emma Rakete and Kyle Matthews) and Costs and Overseas Conferences and Travel**

* Does HWT engage with researchers beyond PhD students, such as recent graduates like Ms. Emma Rakete and Mr. Kyle Matthews? If so, could you clarify the nature of their involvement with the program?
* Were these opportunities for Ms. Rakete and Mr. Matthews publicly advertised?
* Are there are post doctoral researchers with HWT?
* Does HWT fund overseas conferences and travel for its staff, associates, or collaborating researchers? If so, could you provide details on the associated costs, the expected outputs or deliverables resulting from this travel/research/projects, and the selection process for such funding?

8. Security Oversight

Could you describe the oversight mechanisms in place to ensure HWT's research focus aligns with or is at least learning about national security priorities? terrorism?
Do any staff have experience or qualifications in Security, Defence or Policing ?
Are the students provided access to security scholars/experts?
Is HWT funding the 'Crime Media Culture journal? if so why ?

https://defsec.net.nz/2024/06/15/underst...

9 Financial Audit
Has there been a check and balance on spending at HWT this year ?
If so when?
Can HWT still meet its objective to fund PHD and Masters?
Or is it restricted due to the costs related to the above matters ?

Thank you for your time in responding to these queries.
While there are a few questions they should be very straight forward.
Thank you

Catherine

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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Tēnā koe, 

 

Thank you for emailing the Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet (DPMC), including the National Emergency Management
Agency (NEMA). Please note that for OIA (Official Information Act)
requests the period from 25 December 2023 to 15 January 2024 are not
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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

[UNCLASSIFIED]
Kia ora,

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) received on 4 July 2024, copied below. We will respond to your request within the statutory timeframes set out in the Act. If we are unable to meet these timeframes we will notify you.

Your request will be managed by the Ministerial Services team within DPMC. If you have any queries, please feel free to contact us at [DPMC request email].

DPMC may publish the response to your OIA request. If we publish the response your personal information, including your name and contact details, will be removed.

Ngā mihi,

Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

E [DPMC request email]

The information contained in this email message is for the attention of the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute this message or the information in it. If you have received this message in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.

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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet


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Attachment Catherine transfer letter.pdf
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[UNCLASSIFIED]

Kia ora,

 

Please see the attached letter regarding your recent OIA request.

 

Ngā mihi,

 

Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E    [1][DPMC request email]
 
 
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.

 

 

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The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
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communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
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From: OIA Requests


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Kia ora Catherine

 

Official information request regarding He Whenua Taurikura

 

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your official information request
that was transferred to Te Herenga Waka on 16 July 2024.

 

We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in
any event no later than 13 July 2024, being 20 working days after the day
your request was received.

 

If any additional factors come to light which are relevant to your
request, please do not hesitate to contact me so that these can be taken
into account.

 

Ngā mihi,

 

Blair Doherty

Senior Advisor, Official Information and Privacy

Legal Services

Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington

[1]www.wgtn.ac.nz 

 

 

 

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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet


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[UNCLASSIFIED]

Kia ora,

 

Please see the attached letter regarding your recent OIA request.

 

Ngā mihi,

 

Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E    [1][DPMC request email]
 
 
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.

 

 

Link: [2]File-List
Link: [3]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [4]themeData
Link: [5]colorSchemeMapping

show quoted sections

The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
the intended recipient only and is not necessarily the official view or
communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, copy or distribute
this message or the information in it. If you have received this message
in error, please destroy the email and notify the sender immediately.

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[DPMC request email]
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3. file:///tmp/Signature_files/editdata.mso
4. file:///tmp/Signature_files/themedata.thmx
5. file:///tmp/Signature_files/colorschememapping.xml
6. file:///tmp/Signature_files/filelist.xml
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WGJ left an annotation ()

This is a very superficial response and does not make any sense when DPMC said that Victoria University would answer those questions. Very concerning that the money is not being discussed and some questions completely disregarded.

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WGJ left an annotation ()

The above note is relating to VICTORIA UNI answer to my OIA not DPMC

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From: OIA Requests


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Kia ora Catherine

 

Official information request regarding He Whenua Taurikura

 

I refer to your official information request that was transferred to Te
Herenga Waka on 16 July 2024.

 

Please find attached a response to your information request.

 

Ngā mihi,

 

Blair Doherty

Senior Advisor, Official Information and Privacy

Legal Services

Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington

[1]www.wgtn.ac.nz 

 

 

 

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From: WGJ

Dear OIA Requests,
I will be submitting a new request as there are still insufficent answers

1.2 A superficial answer and no specialities or qualfifications provided so that interfers that NONE of these people have any speclist knowledge . Yes it can be multi displicine but to have NO ONE knowledgable in terrorism, defence or security should be questioned.

The staffing seems very unethical given the centre was meant to be HOSTED by Victoria but seems it has become its own personal biased hub ? this is concerning as it violates the intent of the centre.

4.3 Center Manager does the screening - who audits this to ensure personal bias is not detrimental a nd the personal bias is very clear so it is a fair question.

ONLY a Monthly meeting for students so if they are NOT getting much from these people WHY are there FIVE staff. What do the students say about this ? Has DPMC asked them ?

Why no Non disclosure that is poor managment.
Why was the associate process not managed to prevent a silo this is poor management.

Yes. Two postdoctoral research fellows are employed to work exclusively on PVET research HOW were they chosen and again they seem to be very biased choices and nothing to do with the feild at all from their social media and other profiles.

7.1 they are people of one focus and typically anti-colonial anti-state how is that good .
7.3Post doc researchers seems to be a mate pick ? A victoria uni student own internal process. This appears very problematic and questionable. What costs are they ? and that surely has removed the ability to fund more masters and phd students as per the website.

12.900 GRAND for two trips and then all that added expense for the post doc people shoulder tapped by the manager.

Your answer
These are topics for investigation that can be addressed across a range of disciplinary areas. All staff employed by the university are suitably qualified for academic roles. It should be noted that the Centre’s brief is wider than experience in security, defence or policing and includes scholarly expertise in social cohesion research, peace, conflict and War studies (including military studies) and an understanding of political movements in Aotearoa. The funder, the HWT Board and Victoria University have approved the qualifications, experience and knowledge that staff bring to bear on research at the Centre.

Response: So your answer tells us they have no one , they don't care what that feild offers and they ignore those academics. This is not a balanced research centre and in now way does this appraoch actually serve the intent of the Royal Commission and I can now see why questions were raised. This again provides the picture of a new silo group that cannot see its own fallacies and bias.

8.4 That research assistant is a professor at Victoria University from my other enquiries so again the internal bias here and I would say the money clutching within Victoria Uni walls is seriously concerning. Especially on a journal that reportantly has no credientials in the issues,

The answers around how HWT is being managed make no sense and it seems to have been taken on a biased enclosed silo journey far from what it was intended it appears. Disappointing as it risks the wrath of the government who want to cut funds. This is to the detriment of NZ. Honesty this is disappointing. What was meant to be a bipartisan student research focused centre appears to be a Victoria University self serving huddle without diversity and only serving the interests of the 'selected' and their friends. I had hoped these answers would ease concerns and provide reassurances but they raise more concerns. This management approach is going to be or already is detriemental to NZ and not what the Royal Commission appears to outliine. Thie ones that will lose from this silo and bias are the wider students, at least that was not as siloed to Vic as I thought , and NZ as a whole that want this work done. Victoria appear to be money making and appointments made to suit the worldviews of the uni and the manager. The board need to do some self reflection here. There needs to be a change of management and it should be rotated around the universities to stop this type of concerning appraoch happening.

Yours sincerely,

WGJ

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WGJ left an annotation ()

My annoatations are directed at Victoria but I hope that DPMC take note of these issues.

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Things to do with this request

Anyone:
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet only: