Kia ora Penelope,

Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 request (the Act) to NZTE, received 22 August 2024 requesting:

Can you please explain why the Health and Safety Manager went on a trip to South America recently? Whilst I understand the importance of ensuring employee wellbeing, I believe this trip was unnecessary and has raised several questions about the effective use of government resources.

Specifically, I would like the details on the following;

1. What costs were incurred for the trip, including what type or class of travel did the Safety Manager take (Premium Economy, Business etc), accommodation and travel expenses.
2. Why was this trip prioritised? This organisation has many international offices why was this one chosen and how many people received a health and safety "assessment" whilst the manager was there?
3. Why wasn't an alternative method taken such as video conferencing or local representatives in the office taking the manager through the assessment? Could the same goals be achieved without the need for international travel?
4. The itinerary/agenda for this trip.
5. This trip was taken during a time of austerity within the New Zealand government and when a restructure was taking place within this organisation, why was this deemed so important to be completed? And why were other offices not given the same treatment?

I would welcome some clarification and reasoning behind why this trip was undertaken and what benefits it brought to the organisation at a time when resources could have been used more effectively.

In accordance with the Act, NZTE will make a decision on your request as soon as reasonably practicable and within 20 working days of 21 August 2024. The latest date for a decision on your request is 19 September 2024.

Kind regards,

Isla

-----Original Message-----
From: Penelope Neuberger <[FOI #28137 email]>
Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2024 12:44 PM
To: Ministerials <[NZTE request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Overseas Trip for Health and Safety Manager

[You don't often get email from [FOI #28137 email]. Learn why this is important at https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

Dear New Zealand Trade and Enterprise,

Can you please explain why the Health and Safety Manager went on a trip to South America recently? Whilst I understand the importance of ensuring employee wellbeing, I believe this trip was unnecessary and has raised several questions about the effective use of government resources.

Specifically, I would like the details on the following;

1. What costs were incurred for the trip, including what type or class of travel did the Safety Manager take (Premium Economy, Business etc), accommodation and travel expenses.
2. Why was this trip prioritised? This organisation has many international offices why was this one chosen and how many people received a health and safety "assessment" whilst the manager was there?
3. Why wasn't an alternative method taken such as video conferencing or local representatives in the office taking the manager through the assessment? Could the same goals be achieved without the need for international travel?
4. The itinerary/agenda for this trip.
5. This trip was taken during a time of austerity within the New Zealand government and when a restructure was taking place within this organisation, why was this deemed so important to be completed? And why were other offices not given the same treatment?

I would welcome some clarification and reasoning behind why this trip was undertaken and what benefits it brought to the organisation at a time when resources could have been used more effectively.

Yours faithfully,

Penelope Neuberger

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Kia ora Penelope,

 

Please see attached NZTE’s response to your OIA request,

 

Ngâ mihi,

Isla

 

 

 

This e-mail message, together with any attachments, is for the intended
recipient only and may not be disclosed to any other person. If you are
not the intended recipient and you have received or seen this message
through an error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the
email from your system. Unauthorised use or disclosure of the message, or
the information it contains, may be unlawful. New Zealand Trade and
Enterprise accepts no responsibility for changes made to this email or to
any attachments after transmission from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
The information contained in this email, together with any attachments,
does not necessarily represent the official view of New Zealand Trade and
Enterprise. It is your responsibility to check this email and any
attachments for viruses.