OIA 118222 S.S.Response.pdf

Justice Centre | 19 Aitken Street
DX SX10088 | Wellington
T 04 918 8800 | F 04 918 8820
[email address] | www.justice.govt.nz

29 January 2025

S. S.
[FYI request #29503 email]
Ref: OIA 118222
Tēnā koe S.S.

Official Information Act request: North Shore Family Court Operations and Resource
Management

Thank you for your email of 10 December 2024 to the Ministry of Justice (the Ministry),
requesting information about the North Shore Family Court operations and resource
management under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act). Specifically, you requested:

1. Operational Performance and Case Management:

a) Statistical Data (anonymized):
- Monthly breakdown by case type
- Processing timeframes
- Delay frequency and causes
- Error rates and types
- Correction timeframes
- Resolution metrics

For each category, please provide:
- Raw data
- Trend analysis
- Comparative benchmarks
- Variance explanations
- Impact assessments

b) Administrative Efficiency:
- Document processing times
- Error correction rates
- Staff productivity metrics
- Quality control measures
- Compliance statistics

For each category, include:
- Daily/weekly/monthly breakdowns
- Resource allocation data
- Cost implications
- Remediation efforts

2. Resource Management:

a) Staffing Analysis:
- Position-specific workloads
- Training records
- Performance metrics
- Error rates by role
- Productivity measurements

b) Financial Management:
- Transaction costs by type
- Resource utilization rates
- Overtime patterns
- Budget vs. actual spending
- Cost efficiency metrics

For both categories, provide:
- Detailed breakdowns
- Justification documentation
- Impact assessments

3. Legal Aid Administration:

a) Processing Metrics:
- Application volumes
- Processing times
- Approval/decline rates
- Appeal statistics
- Quality measures

b) Financial Oversight:
- Cost per case
- Resource allocation
- Recovery rates
- Administrative costs

Include:
- Efficiency measurements
- Impact assessments
- Performance trends

4. Quality Assurance Framework:
- Error detection methods
- Correction procedures
- Prevention measures
- Training effectiveness
- Performance monitoring

Include:
- Implementation documentation
- Success metrics
- Cost implications
- Resource requirements
- Required Format for All Sections

Data Specifications:
- Raw data in Excel format
- Monthly breakdowns
- Year-over-year comparisons
- Trend analysis and variance explanations
- Impact assessments

Supporting Documentation:
- Decision-making trails
- Internal review processes
- Quality control records
- System modification logs
- Staff training verification
- Audit records

Accountability Documentation:
- Names/positions of responsible officials
- Information management policies
- System audit records
- Regular reporting mechanisms
- Data retention protocols

Additional Notes
- Claims of commercial sensitivity are not applicable as this request relates to public
service delivery.
- Privacy concerns can be mitigated through anonymization.
- Administrative burden is not grounds for refusal under LGOIMA.
- The requested period (2020-2024) aligns with standard retention requirements.

Time Sensitivity
- Any anticipated delays must be communicated within five working days.
- Partial information should be released as it becomes available.
- Progress updates are expected regularly.
- Notification of any transferred portions of this request must be provided immediately.

If any information is withheld:
- Please cite specific statutory grounds.
- Provide redacted versions where possible.
- Detail public interest considerations.
- Explain the methodology for partial information provision.

On 19 December 2024, the Ministry contacted you to clarify parts 1(a), 1(b), and 2(a), as
well as some aspects of parts 3(a) and 3(b) of your request, under section 15 of the Act, as
follows:

1a) Statistical Data (anonymized)
•  Monthly breakdown by case type Please clarify what information you are
seeking a monthly breakdown by case type of e.g. number of applications filed.
Alternatively, please advise if you are seeking a breakdown of any of the
information in the Family Court data tables available on our website, here: Data
tables | New Zealand Ministry of Justice
•  Delay frequency and causes Please clarify if by delay you mean adjournments.
If so, we can provide the number of court events adjourned in the North Shore
Family Court.
•  Processing timeframes Please clarify if you are seeking information on the
average time in days taken for documents to be processed after filed. If so,
please note this part of your request will be refused under 18(g) of the OIA as this
information is not held by the Ministry.
•  Error rates and types, correction timeframes, resolution metrics Please
clarify what is meant by these terms and what specific information you are
seeking.
1b) Administrative efficiency
•  Document processing times As above, please clarify if you are seeking
information on the average time in days taken for documents to be processed
after filed. If so, please note this part of your request will be refused under 18(g)
of the OIA as this information is not held by the Ministry.
•  Error correction rates, staff productivity metrics, quality control measures,
compliance statistics Please clarify what is meant by these terms and what
specific information you are seeking.
2a) Staffing Analysis:  Please clarify if you are seeking information regarding turnover
rates and recruitment.
•  Error rates by role – Please clarify what do you mean by error rates and what
specific information you are seeking.
•  Justification documentation – Please clarify what do you mean by justification
documentation and what specific information you are seeking.
•  Impact assessments - Please clarify what do you mean and what specific
information you are seeking.
3a) Processing Metrics:
•  Appeal statistics Please clarify what you mean by appeal statistics, and whether
you mean the court case ‘appeals’, or appealing the decision made on the legal
aid grant.
•  Quality measures Please clarify what you mean by quality measures and what
specific information you are seeking.

3b) Financial Oversight:
•  Resource allocation Please clarify what is meant by resource allocation and
what specific information you are seeking.

•  Recovery rates Please clarify if you are seeking the amount of legal aid debt
paid. If so, we can provide the amount of legal aid debt collected by the Ministry.
•  Administrative costs Please clarify if you mean the costs claimed by legal aid
lawyers. If so, please note this part of your request will be refused under 18(g) of
the OIA as this information is not held by the Ministry.

A follow-up email was also sent to you on 8 January 2025 about the clarification of your
request. As the Ministry did not receive a response from you, we are unable to consider
parts 1(a), 1(b), 2(a), and the aspects of part 3(a) and 3(b) of your request where we have
sought clarification. This is because these parts of your request have not been specified with
due particularity, as required under section 12(2) of the Act. I invite you to submit a more
specific request for this information, which would be treated as a new request under the Act.

In response to part 2(b) of your request, for information on costs for Family Court cases at
the North Shore District Court, the Ministry does not hold the information requested. This is
because the Ministry is unable to identify if financial data relates specifically to the Family
Court jurisdiction of the North Shore District Court due to the way this information is recorded
in the Ministry’s Financial Management Information System.  Therefore, this part of your
request is refused under section 18(g)(i) of the Act, as the information is not held by the
Ministry, and there are no grounds for believing it is held by another agency subject to the
Act.

In response to parts 3(a) and 3(b) of your request for application volumes, processing times,
approval/decline rates, and cost per case information specific to legal aid grants in the
Family jurisdiction of the North Shore District Court, please note the Ministry does not record
this information in a way where it can be broken down specifically to the Family Court
jurisdiction of the North Shore Family Court. Therefore, this part of your request is refused
under section 18(g)(i) of the Act, as the information is not held by the Ministry, and there are
no grounds for believing it is held by another agency subject to the Act.

However, you can find general statistics on legal aid for the Family jurisdiction on the
Ministry’s website at: justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/research-data/justice-
statistics/data-tables/#services

In response to part 4 of your request for information about the Quality Assurance
Framework, the information you have requested cannot be made available without
substantial collation or research and is therefore refused under 18(f) of the Act. I invite you to
submit a more refined request for this information, which would be treated as a new request
under the Act. You can make a request for this information by email to: [Ministry of Justice request email]

If you require any further information, please contact Media & Social Media Manager Joe
Locke at [email address]

Please note that our response, with your personal details removed, may be published on the
Ministry website at: Official Information Act responses | New Zealand Ministry of Justice

If you are not satisfied with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman under section 28(3) of the Act. The Office of the Ombudsman may be
contacted by email to [email address] or by phone on 0800 802 602.

Nāku noa, nā

Jacquelyn Shannon
Group Manager, Courts and Tribunals, Regional Service Delivery