Official Information Act Request — Expenditure on The Pākehā Project
Liam Hehir made this Official Information request to Statistics New Zealand
Response to this request is delayed. By law, Statistics New Zealand should normally have responded promptly and by (details and exceptions)
From: Liam Hehir
Dear Statistics New Zealand,
I am writing to request information under the Official Information Act 1982. My request pertains to the decision made by the Department to have staff attend training by The Pākehā Project, a programme that, according to recent media coverage and its own promotional materials, appears to focus on themes that may be perceived as overtly political, particularly concerning decolonisation and systemic change.
Given the principles of political neutrality and stewardship required under the Public Service Act 2020, I am seeking detailed information on the rationale, decision-making, and assessment processes involved. Specifically, I request the following:
Cost and Analysis: The total amount spent by the Department on staff attendance at The Pākehā Project, including registration, travel, accommodation, and other expenses. Additionally, any cost-benefit analysis or justification made prior to approving the expenditure.
Effectiveness and Outcomes: Documentation or reports detailing the measurable outcomes or benefits observed following staff participation, along with any evaluations of the programme’s success or impact on departmental objectives.
Approval and Decision-Making: The names or titles of officials who authorized the expenditure, along with any records of internal discussions or concerns raised about the appropriateness or potential political nature of the programme.
Political Neutrality: Any steps taken to ensure compliance with the principle of political neutrality, including an assessment of whether the programme’s emphasis on decolonization could conflict with public service requirements.
Alternative Options: Records detailing whether any alternative cultural competency training programmes were considered, and the rationale for selecting The Pākehā Project over other available options.
I am particularly interested in understanding how the decision to engage with this programme aligns with public service obligations to remain apolitical while pursuing professional development.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please let me know if you require any clarification of this request. I look forward to your timely response in accordance with the statutory timeframe.
Yours faithfully,
Liam Hehir
From: Rafa Itchon
Statistics New Zealand
Tēnā koe Liam,
I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your below Official Information Act request dated 5 November 2024.
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as reasonably practicable and in any event no later than 4 December 2024, being 20 working days after the day on which your request was received taking into account public holidays. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of an extension of that timeframe.
Your request is being handled by the Office of the Government Statistician and Chief Executive. If you have any queries, please feel free to contact me using the details in the signature below. If additional factors come to light which are relevant to your request, please do not hesitate to contact us so that these can be taken into account.
Ngā mihi,
Rafa Itchon (pronouns: he/him/his and Mr)
Senior Advisor | Kaitohutohu Matua
Executive and Government Relations – Office of the Government Statistician & Chief Executive | Tari O Te Kaitatauranga Matua Me Te Pouārahi Matua
Stats NZ | Tatauranga Aotearoa | stats.govt.nz
About Aotearoa, for Aotearoa
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From: Rafa Itchon
Statistics New Zealand
Tēnā koe Liam,
I refer to your official information request dated 5 November 2024 for information regarding Stats NZ’s spend with The Pākehā Project.
The Official Information Act 1982 requires that we advise you of our decision on your request no later than 20 working days after the day we received your request. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to meet that time limit and we are therefore writing to notify you of an extension of the time to make our decision, to 6 December 2024. Please be assured, I will respond to you as soon as possible.
This extension is required because consultations necessary to make a decision on your request are such that a proper response cannot reasonably be made within the original time limit.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with us, including this decision, please feel free to contact me directly.
Ngā mihi,
Rafa Itchon (pronouns: he/him/his and Mr)
Senior Advisor | Kaitohutohu Matua
Executive and Government Relations – Office of the Government Statistician & Chief Executive | Tari O Te Kaitatauranga Matua Me Te Pouārahi Matua
Stats NZ | Tatauranga Aotearoa | stats.govt.nz
About Aotearoa, for Aotearoa
Data that improves lives today and for generations to come
Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
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From: Rafa Itchon
Statistics New Zealand
Tēnā koe Liam
Please find attached Stats NZ's response to your OIA request.
Ngā mihi
Rafa Itchon (pronouns: he/him/his and Mr)
Senior Advisor | Kaitohutohu Matua
Executive and Government Relations – Office of the Government Statistician & Chief Executive | Tari O Te Kaitatauranga Matua Me Te Pouārahi Matua
Stats NZ | Tatauranga Aotearoa | stats.govt.nz
About Aotearoa, for Aotearoa
Data that improves lives today and for generations to come
Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
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From: Rafa Itchon
Statistics New Zealand
Tçnâ koe Liam
Official Information Act request for your personal details
I am writing to you because Stats NZ has received an Official Information
Act (OIA) request for information about your identity.
Please see their full request below:
“I am writing to request information under the Official Information Act
1982. I request the following:
(1) The identity of the requester of the below OIA request about
training by The Pâkehâ Project.
(2) The organisation that the requester in (1) belongs to.
Following the previous OIA release, and subsequent publicity from the
Taxpayers Union (who made that request) we received a number of abusive
communications (that we continue to receive), so it is important that we
are able to protect ourselves proactively from this kind of targeting.”
We are consulting you on this request because the information within scope
relates to your personal information. We are prepared to consider your
views before making a decision on the request.
What is the OIA?
The OIA enables people to request official information held by government
agencies, including Stats NZ. We must release the requested information
unless there is a good reason for withholding it. The good reasons for
withholding official information are listed in sections 6 and 9 of the
OIA. The reasons that seem most relevant to us in this case are in section
9(2)(a) of the Act.
Your views
We would appreciate your views about how disclosure of the information at
issue would affect your interests. It may be that you do not object to the
information being disclosed. However, if you have concerns about release
of the information, the more detail you can provide, the better. It is not
enough simply to object to disclosure.
With that in mind, please let us know:
o what information (if any), you are happy for us to release;
o what information you are most concerned about us releasing, and why;
o how release of that information is likely to affect your interests;
and
o any other information you think we should take into account before
making our decision.
Our decision
It is our responsibility to make the final decision on this request. We
will take your views into account in making that decision, but you cannot
veto release of the information. We will let you know the decision we end
up making.
Please provide your views by on or before 20 January. Please note that if
we do not hear from you by then, we may assume you do not want to comment,
and proceed to make our final decision based on the information before us.
If you want to discuss this OIA request, you can contact Stats NZ via
email at [email address].
Ngâ mihi
Rafa Itchon (pronouns: he/him/his and Mr)
Senior Advisor | Kaitohutohu Matua
Executive and Government Relations – Office of the Government Statistician
& Chief Executive | Tari O Te Kaitatauranga Matua Me Te Pouârahi Matua
Stats NZ | Tatauranga Aotearoa | [1]stats.govt.nz
About Aotearoa, for Aotearoa
Data that improves lives today and for generations to come
[2]Facebook | [3]Twitter | [4]LinkedIn
References
Visible links
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3. https://twitter.com/Stats_NZ
4. https://www.linkedin.com/company/statist...
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