OIA request for access to draft documents
D Watson made this Official Information request to Electoral Commission
Response to this request is delayed. By law, Electoral Commission should normally have responded promptly and by (details and exceptions)
From: D Watson
Dear Electoral Commission,
Please refer to 2024/59
Please refer to
https://elections.nz/assets/OIA-requests...
I previously asked for documentation for reviews that were carried.
I was refused access as these reports were not yet finalised.
I sent several replies to that but it seems none have been actioned.
These should be logged in your system they are all visible on fyi org.nz
...So here is another OIA to see if that helps me
I now formally request access to the aforementioned non-finalised/draft reports which per the ombudsman have the same standing under the OIA as "finalised" documents - i.e. they are still official information - regardless of the fact that they are in draft.
I want access to these documents that are noted in your previous reply
"The four ‘Steps the Electoral Commission has taken in response’ referenced in OIA 2023/84 have been taken in the form of two reports. These reports are in their final stages but have not yet been finalised. We are therefore refusing your request under section 18(e) of the Act on the grounds that this information does not yet exist. "
Yours faithfully,
D. Watson
From: Support
##- Please type your reply above this line -##
[1]Vote NZ logo [2]an official site of the New Zealand Electoral
Commission
Kia ora
Thank you for your enquiry. We’ll get back to you as soon as we can, we
aim to respond to enquiries within two working days.
Your request has been assigned a tracking number, 135998.
In the meantime, you may find the information you need on [3]our website.
If you have any more questions or comments, please reply to this email.
Ngā mihi nui,
Electoral Commission
Te Kaitiaki Take Kōwhiri
Need help?
Get in touch with us and we'll help you find what you're looking for.
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From: OIA Enquiries
Kia ora D Watson
We are acknowledging your Official Information request, received on
Wednesday 23 October, requesting:
I now formally request access to the aforementioned non-finalised/draft
reports which per the ombudsman have the same standing under the OIA as
"finalised" documents - i.e. they are still official information -
regardless of the fact that they are in draft.
I want access to these documents that are noted in your previous reply
We will respond to your request as soon as reasonably practicable within
the 20 working days.
Ngā mihi
Electoral Commission | Te Kaitiaki Take Kōwhiri
PO Box 3220 | Level 4, 34-42 Manners Street | Wellington |
[1]vote.nz | [2]elections.nz
[3][IMG]
From: Support <[email address]>
Sent: Wednesday, 23 October 2024 11:34 am
To: OIA Enquiries <[email address]>
Subject: [OIA] Official Information request - OIA request for access to
draft documents
Here is a request from D Watson
([4][FOI #28870 email]).
From: D Watson <[5][FOI #28870 email]>
Date: Tue, Oct 22, 2024 at 8:49 pm
Dear Electoral Commission,
Please refer to 2024/59
Please refer to
[6]https://elections.nz/assets/OIA-requests...
I previously asked for documentation for reviews that were carried.
I was refused access as these reports were not yet finalised.
I sent several replies to that but it seems none have been actioned.
These should be logged in your system they are all visible on fyi org.nz
...So here is another OIA to see if that helps me
I now formally request access to the aforementioned non-finalised/draft
reports which per the ombudsman have the same standing under the OIA as
"finalised" documents - i.e. they are still official information -
regardless of the fact that they are in draft.
I want access to these documents that are noted in your previous reply
"The four ‘Steps the Electoral Commission has taken in response’
referenced in OIA 2023/84 have been taken in the form of two reports.
These reports are in their final stages but have not yet been finalised.
We are therefore refusing your request under section 18(e) of the Act on
the grounds that this information does not yet exist. "
Yours faithfully,
D. Watson
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[7][FOI #28870 email]
Is [8][Electoral Commission request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to Electoral Commission? If so, please contact us using this
form:
[9]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[10]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Conversation ID: b972d570-90c5-11ef-afa4-e1680cee0a77
b972d570-90c5-11ef-afa4-e1680cee0a77 e211bcf
References
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2. https://elections.nz/
3. https://vote.nz/
4. mailto:[FOI #28870 email]
5. mailto:[FOI #28870 email]
6. https://elections.nz/assets/OIA-requests...
7. mailto:[FOI #28870 email]
8. mailto:[Electoral Commission request email]
9. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
10. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
From: OIA Enquiries
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Kia ora D Watson
Please find attached the response to your Official Information Act
request.
In the interests of transparency, we release responses to Official
Information Act requests every three months. We will publish this response
with your personal details redacted on [1]elections.nz.
You have the right under section 28(3) of the Act to make a complaint to
the Ombudsman if you are not satisfied with the response to your request.
Information about how to do this is available at
[2]ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi,
Electoral Commission | Te Kaitiaki Take Kōwhiri
PO Box 3220 | Level 10, 34 – 42 Manners Street | Wellington | 6140 | New
Zealand
Phone +64 4 495 0030 | [3]vote.nz | [4]elections.nz
From: OIA Enquiries <[email address]>
Sent: Wednesday, 23 October 2024 11:45 am
To: [FOI #28870 email]
Subject: RE: [OIA] Official Information request - OIA request for access
to draft documents
Kia ora D Watson
We are acknowledging your Official Information request, received on
Wednesday 23 October, requesting:
I now formally request access to the aforementioned non-finalised/draft
reports which per the ombudsman have the same standing under the OIA as
"finalised" documents - i.e. they are still official information -
regardless of the fact that they are in draft.
I want access to these documents that are noted in your previous reply
We will respond to your request as soon as reasonably practicable within
the 20 working days.
Ngā mihi
Electoral Commission | Te Kaitiaki Take Kōwhiri
PO Box 3220 | Level 4, 34-42 Manners Street | Wellington |
[5]vote.nz | [6]elections.nz
[7][IMG]
From: Support <[8][email address]>
Sent: Wednesday, 23 October 2024 11:34 am
To: OIA Enquiries <[9][email address]>
Subject: [OIA] Official Information request - OIA request for access to
draft documents
Here is a request from D Watson
([10][FOI #28870 email]).
From: D Watson <[11][FOI #28870 email]>
Date: Tue, Oct 22, 2024 at 8:49 pm
Dear Electoral Commission,
Please refer to 2024/59
Please refer to
[12]https://elections.nz/assets/OIA-requests...
I previously asked for documentation for reviews that were carried.
I was refused access as these reports were not yet finalised.
I sent several replies to that but it seems none have been actioned.
These should be logged in your system they are all visible on fyi org.nz
...So here is another OIA to see if that helps me
I now formally request access to the aforementioned non-finalised/draft
reports which per the ombudsman have the same standing under the OIA as
"finalised" documents - i.e. they are still official information -
regardless of the fact that they are in draft.
I want access to these documents that are noted in your previous reply
"The four ‘Steps the Electoral Commission has taken in response’
referenced in OIA 2023/84 have been taken in the form of two reports.
These reports are in their final stages but have not yet been finalised.
We are therefore refusing your request under section 18(e) of the Act on
the grounds that this information does not yet exist. "
Yours faithfully,
D. Watson
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[13][FOI #28870 email]
Is [14][Electoral Commission request email] the wrong address for Official
Information requests to Electoral Commission? If so, please contact us
using this form:
[15]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[16]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Conversation ID: b972d570-90c5-11ef-afa4-e1680cee0a77
b972d570-90c5-11ef-afa4-e1680cee0a77 e211bcf
References
Visible links
1. https://elections.nz/
2. https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
3. http://www.vote.nz/
4. https://elections.nz/
5. https://vote.nz/
6. https://elections.nz/
7. https://vote.nz/
8. mailto:[email address]
9. mailto:[email address]
10. mailto:[FOI #28870 email]
11. mailto:[FOI #28870 email]
12. https://elections.nz/assets/OIA-requests...
13. mailto:[FOI #28870 email]
14. mailto:[Electoral Commission request email]
15. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
16. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
From: D Watson
Dear Karl,
It seems that these have been in draft for a long, long time, these were referenced in OIAs from more than a year ago, since the election . When do you expect these to be available and whenever that is can you send them by adding them in a reply to this OIA on fyi.org.nz?
These are not the only documents that have eluded the public. The content in draft or otherwise is neither here nor there, it are just another example of a continued resistance to responding appropriately to OIA requests, in my opinion.
How much other official information is being withheld due to the spurious 'draft status' rationale. Can you answer that.
There has also being attempts to say that documents were "internal". I have never heard of such a thing, it seems to be code for "we said they exist but the actually don't".
It has typically taken the electoral commission an exorbitant amount of time to provide proper responses to offical information act requests, often requiring further clarifications and more specific questions and generally being obstructive.
I will be making a complaint if there isn't a satisfactory response from you at a minimum I want an indication of when these will be available and a commitment to providing them by responding to this OIA request.
Yours sincerely,
D Watson
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