17 March 2025
D Watson
By email to:
[FYI request #28870 email]
Dear D Watson
OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACT REQUEST 2024/66 – Follow up
Thank you for your further follow-up of 4 and 19 February 2025 regarding the reports you've been
inquiring about. As previously mentioned, the Commission remains committed to making the
reports available to you as soon as reasonably practicable and I wanted to give you a further update
on timing for providing them to you.
Following the February Board meeting, the active development and refinement stages of the report
from PricewaterhouseCoopers have now been completed. The report is an internal audit of electoral
enrolment and electoral results quality assurance processes. It makes a number of
recommendations related to the need for further investment in the Commission’s enrolment and
election results systems and processes. The findings of the audit report are referenced extensively in
advice to Ministers that is part of an Electoral Commission budget bid.
As these matters are still under active consideration by Ministers with decisions and announcements
pending, at this time, the report must be withheld under section 9(2)(f)(iv) of the Act on the grounds
that withholding the information is necessary to maintain the constitutional conventions for the
time being which protect the confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers and officials.
Consideration has been given to and I am satisfied that the reasons for withholding of the
information at this time are not outweighed by other considerations which render it desirable in the
public interest to make that information available. Budget decisions are due to be made on 22 May
2025, and on 23 May 2025 I will provide the report to you.
The Deloitte report which is a report on the Commission’s contract management and third-party risk
management processes is still under active development and refinement. The draft report is
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.
I am satisfied that the reasons for withholding of the information are not outweighed by other
considerations which render it desirable, in the public interest, to make that information available.
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
The Commission will notify you and make the reports available to you when the active development
and refinement stages are complete.
We understand the anticipation, and we appreciate your patience in this matter. We’ll make sure to
keep you updated as soon as we have further information.
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 Office
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
