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28 February 2025
Tēnā koe John Luke
Official Information Act request
Thank you for your email of 12 January 2025, requesting information about
applications for the New Zealand Artificial Limb Service (NZALS), including
advertisement, number of applications and shortlists.
I have considered your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
Please find my decision on your request set out below.
The NZALS is governed by the Artificial Limb Service Act 2018 (the ALS Act)
1 and
the Crown Entities Act 2004.
2 Section 10 of the ALS Act provides for six members to be appointed by the
responsible Minister (the Minister), including five members who are to be
appointed through specified pathways:
• one member appointed by the responsible Minister to represent the interests
of war amputees
• one member nominated by the Amputees Federation of New Zealand
• one member nominated by the New Zealand Orthopaedic Association
• one member to represent Health New Zealand, and appointed on the
nomination of the Minister of Health
• one member nominated by a majority of the current members of the NZALS
Board (the Board).
In addition to the above, Board membership comprises one other member
appointed by the responsible Minister.
We have considered your request in relation to the following Board members:
• the reappointment of Stuart Burns, Kate Horan and Kevin Ross; and
• the appointments of Dr Dawn Louise Adair and Patrick O’Doherty.
1 The ALS Act (2018) can be found here
: www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2018/0034/latest/whole.html
2 The Crown Entities Act (2004) can be found here:
www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2004/0115/latest/DLM329631.html
The Aurora Centre, 56 The Terrace, PO Box 1556, Wellington
– Telephone 04-916 3300 – Facsimile 04-918 0099
Three board members were eligible for reappointment, namely Stuart Burns, Kate
Horan, and Kevin Ross. These members were reappointed to retain institutional
knowledge, support business continuity, and ensure continuity of leadership.
When appointing new members, the recruitment method is determined by which
member is being replaced. The member positions filled in 2024 required
nominations from:
• the Minister of Health; and
• a majority of the current members of the Board.
In line with the specified appointment pathways described above, the Ministry of
Social Development (the Ministry) did not advertise these roles publicly. As such,
this part of your request is refused under section 18(e) of the Act, as the document
alleged to contain the information requested does not exist.
To seek nominations for these appointments the Minister sent letters to the
Minister of Health and the Chairperson of the NZALS (the Chair). Each nominator
provided one nomination for consideration.
The Ministry conducted interviews with both nominees to confirm that they met
the Minister’s requirements, and that they would contribute to a well-balanced
Board. Both nominees were subsequently appointed by the Minister in December
2024.
Appointment letters for these positions are attached as an
Appendix. We have
withheld personal information as out of scope, noting the comment in your request
that you were happy for personal information to be redacted. Please let me know
if this was not what you intended.
I will be publishing this decision letter, with your personal details deleted, on the
Ministry’s website in due course.
If you wish to discuss this response with us, please feel free to contact
[MSD request email]. If you are not satisfied with my decision on your request, you have the right to
seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman. Information about how to
make a complaint is available
at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi nui
pp.
Anna Graham
General Manager
Ministerial and Executive Services
