3 April 2025

Joseph Thompson
[FYI request #30418 email]

Tēnā koe Mr Thompson,
I write in response to your requests dated 14 March 2025 for information from Kāinga Ora –
Homes and Communities under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (the Act):
Please provide all written correspondence (texts, emails, reports, minutes, teams
messages) between the Chief Executive and the General Manager - Urban
Development and Delivery that concern the subject of the LEAD alliance.

To narrow this focus, this request is for the period 1/11/24 - 23/12/24 immediately
preceding the shock public announcement of Kainga Ora ending the contractual
arrangement.
On the same day you also requested the following information, relating to a previous
response provided to you under the Act:
I have received email correspondence only. Please can I also receive all teams
messages and text conversations relating to the alliance during that same time period.
This relates to a response provided to you on 19 February 2025 by Kāinga Ora, which
responded to your request of 21 January 2025:
Please can you provide all email correspondence and subsequent email chains that
were sent between the Director - Infrastructure and Civil Construction and the General
Manager - Urban Development and Delivery. This should cover the three months from
the 1st May 2023 until the 1st August 2023, the day the alliance agreement extension
was signed.
I have considered your requests under the Act. Several emails that are within scope of your
request have been identified and are being released to you with some information withheld
under section 9(2)(a) of the Act, to ‘…protect the privacy of natural persons...’
I am refusing your request for text and Microsoft Teams messages under section 18(e) of the
Act, as ‘… the document alleged to contain the information requested does not exist or,
despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found.’
As required under section 9(1) of the Act, I have considered the public interest in releasing
the information withheld. I do not consider the public interest considerations are sufficient to
outweigh the need to withhold it.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
There is information about how to make a complaint online at https://www.ombudsman.
parliament.nz or by phone on 0800 802 602.

Please note that Kāinga Ora proactively releases some responses to official information
requests where possible. Our response to your request may be published
at https:/ kaingaora.govt.nz/publications/official-information-requests/, with your personal
information removed.

Nāku iti noa, nā

Rachel Kelly
Manager – Government Services

From:
Mark Fraser
To:
Matt Crockett
Cc:
Caroline McDowall ; Robyn Mathewson ; Nathan Palmer
Subject:
RE: Noting paper - Auckland LSPs infrastructure update
Date:
Friday, 6 December 2024 8:48:07 AM
Attachments:
image002.png
Matt, I’ve talked with Chris too. What he is referring to is that the existing players being part of the future solution. Which is
what we intend. We expect them to be part of the service offer so we retain IP and keep them engaged. But not in an
alliance model, and not with the overhead that it comes with. But most importantly they need to price against others and
bring efficiency to thier work. At the moment the model allows them to run up an hourly tab try to achieve zero risk and
they are getting worse and worse at this.
We have spent the last 3 years being clear what we need from them and asking in very clear language what we expect and
how they might bring grater value. They have simply not done it and are not going to
What I will make clear in the paper is that we have an independent review that agrees with our recommendations and
provides insight into how this is the right more. We also have the support and agreement of the Board Chair Graham
Darlow. He is also of the view that we have come to the end of efforts to get the right value from them in this model and we
ACT 1982
need to adapt to the change in context and change the incentives.
Regards,
Mark.
INFORMATION
Mark Fraser
General Manager
Mobile: s 9(2)(a)
Urban Development Delivery
Email: [email address]
Catalina Workshops, 3 Boundary Road, Hobsonville, Auckland 0616
Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities
PO BOX 84143 Westgate Auckland 0657 | New Zealand Government | www.kaingaora.govt.nz
From: Matt Crockett <[email address]>
Sent: Thursday, 5 December 2024 3:02 PM
To: Mark Fraser <[email address]>
Cc: Caroline McDowall <[email address]>; Robyn Mathewson <[email address]>
Subject: FW: Noting paper - Auckland LSPs infrastructure update
Hi Mark
RELEASED UNDER THE OFFICIAL
I was chatting to Chris A from CPAP yesterday and I asked him for his thoughts on this. He mentioned you had too and he
had a suggestion to give the alliance a chance to come to the commercial party and lower costs, which at face value
seemed sensible. I still think we should engage IDC first and maybe pick this up in recommendation and next steps if you
agree with it. Please let me know what you think and what you are planning to update in the IDC doc?
Copying in Caroline as the new management head honcho for IDC.
Out of Scope

Thanks

Matt

From: Cyrus Free <[email address]>
Sent: Tuesday, 26 November 2024 3:23 PM
To: DL_CELG_Chief Executives Leadership Group <[email address]>
Cc: Sarah Butler <[email address]>; Nick Howcroft <[email address]>
Subject: Noting paper - Auckland LSPs infrastructure update

Kia ora koutou

A noting paper has been uploaded onto Diligent.

This confidential paper outlines the decision to transition away from using the LEAD Alliance in the Auckland Large-Scale
Projects, and is going to be submitted to IDC next month.
ACT 1982

Ngā mihi

INFORMATION

Cyrus Free
CIAL
Senior Advisor, Internal Governance
Mobile: s 9(2)(a)
Government and Sector Relationships
Email: [email address]

Ō TĀTOU UARA – OUR VALUES
Manaakitanga – People at the Heart  |  Mahi Tahi – Better Together  |  Whanake – Be Bold

Freephone: 0800 801 601  |  Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities
PO Box 2628 Wellington 6140  |  New Zealand Government  |  www.kaingaora.govt.nz

D UNDER THE OF
Out of Scope

Out of Scope

From:
Mark Fraser
To:
Marie Winfield ; Matt Crockett; Caroline McDowall; Gareth Stiven
Cc:
Nick Maling ; Greg Groufsky
Subject:
Re: Important update - LEAD Alliance
Date:
Monday, 23 December 2024 7:34:11 AM
Matt, yes the Minister’s office has been briefed too.
Regards,
Mark.
_____________________________
Mark Fraser
General Manager, Urban Development and Delivery
Kainga Ora Homes and Communities
s 9(2)(a)
ACT 1982
From: Marie Winfield <[email address]>
Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2024 6:21:20 PM
To: Matt Crockett <[email address]>; Mark Fraser <[email address]>; Caroline McDowall
<[email address]>; Gareth Stiven <[email address]>
Cc: Nick Maling <[email address]>; Greg Groufsky <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Important update - LEAD Alliance

Hi - just confirming that we have a reactive media statement ready if needed.
Marie
INFORMATION
From: Matt Crockett <[email address]>
Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2024 5:48 PM
To: Mark Fraser <[email address]>; Caroline McDowall <[email address]>; Gareth Stiven
<[email address]>
Cc: Nick Maling <[email address]>; Marie Winfield <[email address]>; Greg Groufsky
<[email address]>
Subject: Re: Important update - LEAD Alliance

Thanks Mark
I presume Minister's Office has been kept informed and we are all lined up with reactive media comms as needed?
Thanks
Matt
From: Mark Fraser <[email address]>
Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2024 4:32 PM
To: Caroline McDowall <[email address]>; Gareth Stiven <[email address]>
Cc: Matt Crockett <[email address]>
Subject: Important update - LEAD Alliance

Afternoon Caroline and Gareth,

FYI the below email was sent out today re LEAD Alliance. Feel free to share as appropriate.
RELEASED UNDER THE OFFICIAL

Regards, Mark

Mark Fraser (he/him)

General Manager
Mobile: s 9(2)(a)
Urban Development and Delivery
Email: [email address]

Catalina Workshops, 3 Boundary Road, Hobsonville, Auckland 0616
Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities
PO BOX 84143 Westgate Auckland 0657  |  New Zealand Government  |  www.kaingaora.govt.nz
ACT 1982

From: Mark Fraser <[email address]>
Sent: Thursday, 19 December 2024 2:31 PM
To: DL_Urban Development and Delivery <[email address]>; Jane Jujnovich
<[email address]>; Sharon Higgins <[email address]>; Charlotte Woolston
<[email address]>; s 9(2)(a)
@kaingaora.govt.nz>; s 9(2)
@kaingaora.govt.nz>
(a)
Subject: Important update - LEAD Alliance

Hi everyone,
INFORMATION
Yesterday I met with the LEAD Alliance Programme Alliance Board (PAB) to let them know that we have made the decision to
close down LEAD Alliance.
The alliance was set up in 2018 on the basis of a consistent volume of work expected to be more than $200m per year. Due to
the programme of work reducing, and project delivery timeframes moving out, there have been increases to costs that have
reduced the value of an alliance delivery model.
We know that there has been a lot of work in recent years (and particularly around the reset and contract extension process
in 2023) to lift the performance of the alliance. This work has been successful and the alliance is now running very well with
consistent and predictable programme, costs to complete, communications and interface with Kāinga Ora.
However, we have determined that LEAD Alliance will not be able to deliver the flexibility and cost efficiencies we require in
our current operating context and no longer suits our needs.
Kāinga Ora, as the Owner-Participant, will supply formal notice to the alliance on Friday 31 January, and that notice will also
include confirmation of the work packages that will proceed in the existing alliance model, and those that will either pause or
change. For now, the alliance continues to run as BAU and we are continuing with committed projects for design and
construction. This includes the Delivery Transformation pilot.
Starting in the new year, we will first market test, then run a process to establish a replacement procurement and delivery
methodology.  By 30 June, we will have concluded the transition away from the alliance model, but it’s likely to take up to two
years to close out existing projects. This work is expected to be managed by UDD with support from the LEAD Alliance
partners.
A transition team will be established to manage the transition. Nathan Palmer will lead this team, and will communicate
more information about the transition plan in the coming months.
RELEASED UNDER THE OFFICIAL
This afternoon LEAD Alliance staff were informed of the decision. Tomorrow morning at 10am I’ll hold a short Q&A session on
Teams to answer any questions that you may have around this decision, look out for an invitation to follow – attendance is
optional.
Regards,
Mark.

Document Outline