UNCLASSIFIED
10 February 2025
John Luke
[FYI request #29610 email]
Dear John Luke
Thank you for your email of 19 December 2024 in which you request the fol owing under
the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA):
“I
noted,
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2024-
go6586__;!!Asq5-
8xVch3Reg!ugNxFZxKmrCHU7lnfS9L6G3mWGXhJ7iEoiVyYPJu0knoYkpmZpxvJXEF
RDkQiF8uS6VZC9GUt3TtjFKavaI6f-V0tYu54gyWIlia7U14B9I7$
May I ask how you cal ed for public nomination and on what platform you have cal for
public nominations e.g. govt.jobs website. Also, how many applications you have
received from the public and how many you have received from other nominating
agencies such as TPK or Ministry of women etc for your role. May I also seek a copy of
the ad went out to public and the appointment letter sent to the appointee (not need to
be this round, any previous one as an example would be ok), feel free to redact any
personal information. Further I would like to understand your selection process of
appointing Officers of the Government of the Ross Dependency. Please also supply bio
of each officers appointed, if you have one”
There is no public nominations process for appointing Officers of the Government of the
Ross Dependency. Consequently, your request is refused under section 18(e) of the OIA,
as the information requested does not exist.
The Ross Dependency Regulations 1923 enables the Governor-General (as Governor of
the Ross Dependency) to appoint individuals known as “Officers of the Government of the
Ross Dependency”. The Regulations empower Officers to do such things necessary to
ensure compliance with the laws in force in the Ross Dependency.
The appointments are made regularly to ensure that the New Zealand Government
maintains a lawful y appointed presence in the Ross Dependency. To ensure there is
always at least one Officer present in the Ross Dependency, appointments are made to
cover the summer and winter seasons.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2
As the Officers must be present in the Ross Dependency to fulfil their role, there is no cal
for public nominations. Antarctica New Zealand nominate individuals who wil work at Scott
Base for at least one summer or winter season. The Ministry of Justice approves the
nominated individuals. The Minister of Foreign Affairs recommends them to the Governor-
General, who signs the Officers warrants. The Gazette Notice contains the same text as
the warrant the Governor-General signs. The appointed Officers are sworn in by the Ministry
of Justice.
Biographies for the Officers do not exist (section 18(e) of the OIA refers). However, their
current job titles within Antarctica New Zealand are below:
Martin Robert Meldrum, Engineering Supervisor
Blaise Te Pihinga Maria Pehi-Neho, Winter Medic
Palepa Josephine Porebski, Summer Medic, and
Jonathan Gilbert Leitch, Operations Solutions Manager.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision
by contacting www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Rt Hon Winston Peters
Minister of Foreign Affairs
UNCLASSIFIED
