19 August 2024
Anna Wilson
[FYI request #27817 email]
Ref: PMO 035-2024-25
Dear Anna Wilson
Official Information Act request: information relating to the Flexible Funding Support
provided by Whaikaha
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request, received on 25 July 2024.
You requested:
“For avoidance of doubt, correspondence includes emails, text messages, call logs,
whats app messages, signal messages, facebook messages, notes, memos, aide-
memoires, briefings, meeting minutes, and so forth.
1) All correspondence between the Prime Minister and Minister Simmonds regarding
the Flexible Funding support provided by Whaikaha.
2) All correspondence between the Prime Minister and staff in Minister Simmonds'
office regarding the Flexible Funding support provided by Whaikaha
3) All correspondence between staff in the Prime Minister's office and Minister
Simmonds regarding the Flexible Funding support provided by Whaikaha
4) All correspondence between staff in the Prime Minister's office and staff in Minister
Simmonds' office regarding the Flexible Funding support provided by Whaikaha
4) All correspondence between staff in the Prime Minister's office and media/journalists
regarding the Flexible Funding support provided by Whaikaha
For reference, this request is about the changes/communications/clarification that
Whaikaha made about Flexible Funding this year and the subsequent consequences:”
We have conducted a search for the information you have requested. This search has
only returned draft emails of the media release for the Minister for Disability Issues
scheduled for public release on 20 March 2024, and draft versions of the Cabinet Paper
‘An independent review into the sustainability of the Disability Support Services
administered by Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People’ 29 April 2024. As such, we are
withholding the information you have requested, in full, under the following sections of the
Act:
• section 9(2)(a), to protect the privacy of individuals
• section 9(2)(g)(i), to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and
frank expression of opinion.
The final version of the media release from the Minister for Disability Issues on
20 March 2024 is available on the Beehive website here:
No disabled person to lose
essential services | Beehive.govt.nz
The final version of the Cabinet Paper ‘An independent review into the sustainability of the
Disability Support Services administered by Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People’
29 April 2024 is available on Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People’s website here:
Cabinet paper, 29 April 2024 | Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People
In making my decision, I have considered the public interest considerations in section 9(1) of
the Act. No public interest has been identified that would be sufficient to outweigh the
reasons for withholding that information.
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision under
section 28(3) of the Act.
Yours sincerely
Cameron Burrows
Chief of Staff
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