Kia ora Gus,

Thank you for your email received 31st January 2025, in which you submitted an Official Information Act request as follows:

Provide all information you and your office holds that mentions or alludes to Tim Jago.

Your request is being considered in accordance with the Act, and you can expect a response by 3rd March 2025 (date determined by the OIA calculator).

Ngā mihi nui

Sonya Ford
Correspondence Lead Advisor | Office of Rt Hon Christopher Luxon
Prime Minister
Minister for National Security and Intelligence
Minister Responsible for Ministerial Services

Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

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I am travelling for work from 25 Febraury to 1 March.

 I may be unable to respond to your emails. 

 

Kia ora Gus M

 

Thank you for your email dated 19 February 2025 in which you express
dissatisfaction  at the  decision regarding the first part of your
request. 

 

Section 2.16 of the Cabinet Manual  sets out that in appointing Ministers,
the Governor-General acts on the advice of the Prime Minister. Practical
and political considerations, such as internal party rules or the terms of
a coalition agreement, may affect the process by which the Prime Minister
reaches decisions on the advice to be given to the Governor-General.
Further information on the roles and responsibilities of the Prime
Minister is set out in the Cabinet Manual, which is available on the
following website: [1]Cabinet Office | Department of the Prime Minister
and Cabinet (DPMC)

 

As advised in my letter 19 February 2025, this office may hold information
within scope of your request, however it is not in the public interest to
collate this information as it would require substantial manual research
and collation.  I reiterate my decision that your request is refused under
section 18(f) of the Act as the information requested cannot be made
available without substantial collation or research.

 

You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my
decision under section 28(3) of the Act.

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

 

Sarah Boyle on behalf of Cameron Burrows

 

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From: Gus M <[2][FOI #29948 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 9:55 AM
To: Christopher Luxon (MIN) <[3][email address]>
Subject: Re: Official Information request - Information regarding Tim Jago

 

Dear Christopher Luxon and Cameron Barrows

I have not received a full response regarding my request, which was due
yesterday. Please acknowledge if you are preparing a full response
regarding the Prime Minister role of appointing Ministers etc by the end
of today or I will contact the Ombudsman.

Many thanks,

Gus M

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2. mailto:[FOI #29948 email]
3. mailto:[email address]

Thank you for your follow up email dated 4 March 2025 in which you express
dissatisfaction at the decision regarding your request under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act).

 

In your email dated 4 March 2025 you comment that: In the earlier
response, it was actually confirmed that the office does not information
regarding him, just that in how the request was originally scoped it was
regarding correspondence from members of the public and news articles
shared in the office.

 

As worded, we interpreted your request for information held by the Prime
Minister’s Office (the Office) that mentions or alludes to Tim Jago. In
our letter we advised and I confirm, that the information held by the
Office that mentions or alludes to Tim Jago consists only of
correspondence from members of the public and news articles that have been
shared amongst Office staff.  I confirm there are no briefings, aides
memoire or other advice within scope of your request.

 

We reiterate our view to collate the information within scope of your
request for release would require substantial manual research and
collation, particularly to identify correspondence that ‘alludes’ to the
topic of your request. We consider that the application of section 18(f)
of the Act is appropriate as the information requested cannot be made
available without substantial collation or research. 

 

As advised, we did consider whether there was any merit in seeking a
refinement of your request. I do not feel, however, that any refinement
would make a significant difference as the same search functions, which
amount to substantial collation, would still be required, noting that the
only information within scope consists of correspondence from members of
the public and news articles that have been shared amongst Office staff.

 

Therefore, a refined request on the same topic is still likely to result
in a refusal under section 18(f) of the Act. We therefore reiterate our
decision to refuse your request under section 18(f) of the Act.

 

 

 

Sarah Boyle | Specialist Ministerial Advisor

Office of the Prime Minister

M: +64 27 433 5910

Executive Wing, Parliament, Wellington 6011