8 April 2025
OIAD-1502
Valerie Morse
[FYI request #30230 email]
Dear Valerie Morse
Thank you for your email of 26 February 2025 requesting the following under the Of icial
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
I note that Bioplant Tairāwhiti was recommended by the Minister of Forestry for fast
track status. Please see page 12 of this document released by MFE:
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsroom.co.n
z%2Fwpcontent%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F02%2FAppendix-
1.1.pdf&data=05%7C02%7COIA%40mfe.govt.nz%7C1dcc0839379242525d7908dd5
5ecb43b%7C761dd003d4ff40498a728549b20fcbb1%7C0%7C0%7C638761198591
288985%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLj
AuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C80000%
7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BgIRSTnDCIcfrCP4XgLfZYvEkuU%2B4ZjL62jN9%2BfiFL0
%3D&reserved=0 I am requesting all information held by your agency regarding
Bioplant and this recommendation.
The Ministry for the Environment has identified five documents in scope of your request, as
listed in the attached document schedule.
Two documents are being withheld in full under section 9(2)(b)(ii) of the Act, to protect
information where the making available of the information would likely unreasonably to
prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied or who is the subject of the
information.
Two documents are being release to you as excerpts, as provided for under section 16(1)(e)
of the Act. Some information within one of these excerpts has been redacted as out of scope
of your request, or withheld under section 9(2)(b)(i ) of the Act, to protect information where
the making available of the information would likely unreasonably to prejudice the
commercial position of the person who supplied or who is the subject of the information.
The Ministry understands that the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has received an
identical request from you and wil be responding to you regarding the document titled
“Agriculture and Forestry. FTC project summaries (23 February 2024)” as this document
relates more closely to the functions of that agency.
Regarding the document titled
Ministerial nominated projects, please note that the document
includes a link which is not hyperlinked in the version provided. The link directed to a folder
on our internal servers which was intended to hold further information on the project, but it is
currently empty as no additional information was available.
In terms of section 9(1) of the Act, I am satisfied that, in the circumstances, the withholding
of this information is not outweighed by other considerations that render it desirable to make
the information available in the public interest.
PO Box 10362, Wel ington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Of ice of the Ombudsman of
my decision to withhold information relating to this request, in accordance with section 28(3)
of the Act. The relevant details can be found on their website at:
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz. Please note that due to the public interest in our work the Ministry for the Environment
publishes responses to requests for official information on our
OIA responses page shortly
after the response has been sent. If you have any queries about this, please feel free to
contact our Ministerial Services team:
[email address]. Yours sincerely
Jo Gascoigne
General Manager – Resource Management System
Ministry for the Environment | Manatū Mō Te Taiao
PO Box 10362, Wel ington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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Document schedule
Document
Content
Decisions
OIA sections
no.
applied
1.
Appendix 1 -
Release in part
16(1)(e), 9(2)(b)(ii)
Projects
nominated by
Ministers for
Category A
2.
Ministerial
Release in part
16(1)(e)
nominated
projects
3.
Correspondence Withheld in full
9(2)(b)(ii)
between MfE and
MPI
4.
Water storage
Withheld in full
9(2)(b)(ii)
projects
economic
information
Feb2024 -
information for
MPI FTC Panel
plus Hurunui.pdf
5.
Agriculture and
To be released by
n/a
Forestry. FTC
MPI
project
summaries (23
February
2024).pdf
PO Box 10362, Wel ington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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