23 May 2025 
 
D Watson  
By email to: [FYI request #28870 email]  
 
Dear D Watson 
 
OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACT REQUEST 2024/66 – Follow up 
Further to my letter of follow-up of 17 March 2025, I wanted to give you a further update on timing 
for providing them to you. 
The report from PricewaterhouseCoopers 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 were referenced extensively in advice to Ministers that was part of 
an Electoral Commission budget bid. Budget decisions were published on 22 May 2025, and I had 
anticipated being able to provide the report to you today. 
However, in the 22 May 2025 budget decision, funding related to the subject of the audit report has 
been identified as tagged contingency where further work is required before Cabinet will agree to 
provide the funding.  
As these matters are still under active consideration by Ministers with decisions still pending, at this 
time, the report must continue to 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 until 
decisions are made. I expect decisions to be made in July 2025 but that is to be confirmed. I will 
release the report to you as soon as ministerial decisions are made. 
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.  
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.  
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 

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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. 
The Commission will notify you and make the report available to you when the active development 
and refinement stages are complete. 
We understand the anticipation, and we appreciate your patience in these matters.  
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 

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