5 November 2024
D Watson
By email to:
[FYI request #28870 email]
Dear D Watson
OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACT REQUEST 2024/66
On 23 October 2024 you made a request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA) for the
following information, with reference to OIA 59/2024:
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. "
You also requested the below on 15 October 2024 in a previous request:
FINALLY I would appreciate the detail of any further, future, planned
audits/reviews/reports/analysis of the 2023 general election that have yet to be performed ,
when they will take place and who will perform them and a date when they will be available - for
example have any political parties sought private reviews of the electoral commission.
The Electoral Commission Board has commissioned two audits on post-election and enrolment
processes and contract management and third party risk management. The Board will be developing
further audit plans but at this stage these are the only audits that are proposed.
In OIA response 2024/59, I indicated that these audits were in their final stages. However, at this
point both drafts are still in active development and substantive refinements are still being made.
The draft reports are withheld under section 9(2)(g)(i) of the OIA on the ground that the withholding
of the information is necessary to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free
and frank expression of opinions by or between or to Ministers of the Crown or members of an
organisation or officers and employees of any public service agency or organisation in the course of
their duty. In each case I am satisfied that the reasons for withholding of the information are not
Electoral Commission
Level 4, 34-42 Manners Street, PO Box 3220, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Telephone +64 4 495 0030 Fax +64 4 495 0031
www.vote.nz | www.elections.nz
outweighed by other considerations which render it desirable, in the public interest, to make that
information available.
The Commission will notify you and make the reports available to you when the active development
and refinement stages are complete.
In the interests of transparency, we release responses to Official Information Act requests every 3
months. We will publish this response with your personal details redacted.
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
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Karl Le Quesne
Chief Electoral Officer
Electoral Commission
Level 4, 34-42 Manners Street, PO Box 3220, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Telephone +64 4 495 0030 Fax +64 4 495 0031
www.vote.nz | www.elections.nz
