11/10/2024
John Wilson
[FYI request #28308 email]
Tēnā koe John
OIA: 1335595 – Charter School Agency expenditure and Establishment Board costs
Thank you for your email of 5 September 2024 to the Charter School Agency (the CSA) requesting
the following information:
I am requesting information under the Official Information Act 1982 regarding the Charter
School Agency. Specifically, I would like to request the following:
1. Details of the total expenditure the Charter School Agency has incurred.
2. A copy of the current budget for the Charter School Agency.
3. Details on remuneration, per diems, and any other compensation or allowances for all
members of The Establishment Board, including salaries, fees, and financial benefits.
4. Records of all meetings held by The Establishment Board, including dates and
locations.
5. A detailed breakdown of the costs associated with holding meetings by The
Establishment Board, including venue, travel, administrative, and other relevant
expenses.
Your request has been considered under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (the Act).
In response to
part one of your request, the CSA was established on 1 July 2024 and for the three
months to 30 September 2024, the set-up costs for the establishment of the agency totalled
$865,204.
Regarding
part two of your request, the departmental budget for the establishment of the CSA is
$12.816 million for the current financial year. The CSA wil soon commence contractual
negotiations with charter school sponsors, and premature release of budget information would
reveal the CSA’s negotiating position. As such, I am withholding a copy of the current budget for
the CSA under section 9(2)(j) of the Act, to enable a Minister of the Crown or any public service
agency or organisation holding the information to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage,
negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations).
As required under section 9(1) of the Act, I have considered the public interest in releasing the
information withheld. I do not consider that the public interest considerations favouring the release
of this information are sufficient to outweigh the need to withhold it at this time.
Charter School Agency, 1 The Terrace, Mezzanine floor, Wellington 6011
PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140 Phone: +64 4 463 8000 Fax: +64 4 463 8001
charterschools.govt.nz
In response to
part three of your request, the CSA covers costs associated with members’
attendance at meetings, such as transport and other actual and reasonable expenses. Fees for the
Establishment Board are set in line with the Cabinet Fees Framework. The Chair of the
Establishment Board is being remunerated at $800 a day, and members of the Establishment
Board at $550 per day. The Board is classified as a Group 4 body under the Cabinet Fees
Framework, and further information regarding this classification is available at paragraph 18 of the
following Education Report:
https:/ assets.education.govt.nz/public/Documents/our-
work/information-releases/Advice-Seen-by-our-Ministers/February-2024/1322056_Redacted.pdf.
Regarding
parts four and five of your request, since 1 July 2024 when the Charter School Agency
was established, to the date of your request, the Establishment Board has met on the following
occasions:
• 5 July 2024, online
• 25 July 2024, online
• 13 August 2024, online
• 3 September 2024, online and in-person.
As you will note, the meetings primarily took place online, and the only costs incurred were fees of
the Establishment Board members for their time. The approximate total cost of these four meetings
was $2,928.10.
Thank you again for your email. You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to review my decision
on your request, in accordance with section 28 of the Act. You can do this by writing to
[email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.
Nāku noa, nā
Jane Lee
Chief Executive
Charter School Agency
OIA: 1335595
charterschools.govt.nz
