ia ora,

Thank you for getting in touch with the Ministerial Services team.

The [1][Department of Corrections request email] inbox is monitored from 8.00am to 4.00pm
Monday to Friday excluding public holidays & weekends.

**PLEASE NOTE the inbox will NOT be monitored on the following public
holidays:

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someone in prison, please contact the prison directly. Contact details for
all prisons can be found here:
[2]https://www.corrections.govt.nz/about_us...

If you are looking for the location of a person in prison or if you want
to know if someone is in prison, you can request this information using
the online form on our website:

[3]https://www.corrections.govt.nz/working_...

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will contact you if any further information is required.  Please do not
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Ngā mihi | Kind regards,

The Ministerial Services Team

[4][Department of Corrections request email]

Ministerial Services

Department of Corrections, Ara Poutama Aotearoa

a: National Office, Mayfair House, 44-52 The Terrace, Wellington, 6011

 

 

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Kia ora,

Thank you for your email.

We are in receipt of your email.

If you are requesting information, we are required to comply with the Privacy Act 2020, the Official Information Act 1982 and the Victims Rights Act 2002.

Depending on the nature of your request you may not receive an official response for up to 20 working days.

We will respond to you in due course.

Ngâ mihi | Kind regards,
Ministerial Services
Department of Corrections, Ara Poutama Aotearoa
a: National Office, Mayfair House, 44-52 The Terrace, Wellington 6011

-----Original Message-----
From: T.L.Young <[FOI #30777 email]>
Sent: 20 April 2025 4:31 a.m.
To: Info@Corrections <[Department of Corrections request email]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Official Information request - VNR info sharing – whânau rights and process

[You don't often get email from [FOI #30777 email]. Learn why this is important at https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

Dear Department of Corrections,

Tçnâ koutou,

I am requesting the following information under the Official Information Act 1982. I am particularly interested in how the Victim Notification Register (VNR) process may impact whânau who are not listed on the register but who may be indirectly affected.

Please provide detailed responses to the following:

1. What specific information is shared through the Victim Notification Register (VNR) in relation to a person?
2. Are family members or partners of the name individual person notified if their information is collected, used, or disclosed through VNR-related procedures?
If not, please explain why not — and if so, what is shared?
3. Are individuals outside the VNR ever notified (or given the right to be notified) when their personal details may be referred to, mentioned, or included as part of VNR-related updates or assessments?
(e.g. names of whânau, addresses, contact details, known associations or relationships.) 4. What protections exist for family/whânau of a remand or pre-conviction prisoner to ensure that their personal information is not shared via the VNR without their knowledge or consent?
Please explain how Corrections ensures compliance with the Privacy Act in these scenarios.
5. Who is VNR-related information allowed to be shared with, and what accountability is in place if this information is disclosed to unauthorised parties?
Is there any legal framework or official policy that justifies the disclosure of this information outside of the direct involvement with the VNR?
6.What is the threshold Corrections requires to allow a named and authorised person to access another individual’s file — when written authority has been granted?
Please explain what internal process is followed once an "Authority to Act" is received, and on what legal or policy basis access may still be denied.
7. If Corrections staff are stating that they are “unaware” of the Authority to Advocate Complaint form — when this form is publicly available on the Corrections website.
Is staff training provided on this process, and if so, how is this monitored for consistency across regions and facilities?

Please treat this as an Official Information Act request. I am aware this response will be publicly published on the FYI.org.nz platform and support this in the interest of public transparency and accountability.

Yours faithfully,
TEATAWHAI YOUNG

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

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[FOI #30777 email]

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If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

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The information in this message is the property of the New Zealand Department of Corrections. It is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain privileged or in confidence material. Any review, storage, copying, editing, summarising, transmission, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, by any means, in whole or part, or taking any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than intended recipient are prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from all computers.

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Kia ora TeAtawhai

Please see attached correspondence from Corrections.

 

Ngā mihi o te wā

 

 

Ministerial Services

Department of Corrections, Ara Poutama Aotearoa

a: Mayfair House, 44 - 52 The Terrace, Wellington 6011 | Private Bag
1206, Wellington 6140 |

[1][IMG] [2][IMG]
[3][IMG] [4][IMG] [5][IMG]

 

 

 

 

External Comms.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this message is the property of the New Zealand
Department of Corrections. It is intended only for the person or entity to
which it is addressed and may contain privileged or in confidence
material. Any review, storage, copying, editing, summarising,
transmission, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, by any means,
in whole or part, or taking any action in reliance upon, this information
by persons or entities other than intended recipient are prohibited. If
you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the
material from all computers.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.corrections.govt.nz/
2. https://twitter.com/correctionsnz?lang=en
3. http://www.corrections.govt.nz/
4. https://www.facebook.com/CorrectionsNZ/
5. https://nz.linkedin.com/company/departme...

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Kia ora TeAtawhai

Please see attached response to your OIA request.

 

Ngā mihi

 

 

Ministerial Services

Department of Corrections, Ara Poutama Aotearoa

a: Mayfair House, 44 - 52 The Terrace, Wellington 6011 | Private Bag
1206, Wellington 6140 |

[1][IMG] [2][IMG] [3][IMG] [4][IMG] [5][IMG]

 

 

External Comms.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this message is the property of the New Zealand
Department of Corrections. It is intended only for the person or entity to
which it is addressed and may contain privileged or in confidence
material. Any review, storage, copying, editing, summarising,
transmission, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, by any means,
in whole or part, or taking any action in reliance upon, this information
by persons or entities other than intended recipient are prohibited. If
you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the
material from all computers.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.corrections.govt.nz/
2. http://www.corrections.govt.nz/
3. https://www.facebook.com/CorrectionsNZ/
4. https://nz.linkedin.com/company/departme...
5. https://twitter.com/correctionsnz?lang=en

hide quoted sections

Kia ora TeAtawhai

Please see attached response to your OIA request.

 

Ngā mihi

 

 

Ministerial Services

Department of Corrections, Ara Poutama Aotearoa

a: Mayfair House, 44 - 52 The Terrace, Wellington 6011 | Private Bag
1206, Wellington 6140 |

[1][IMG] [2][IMG] [3][IMG] [4][IMG] [5][IMG]

 

 

External Comms.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this message is the property of the New Zealand
Department of Corrections. It is intended only for the person or entity to
which it is addressed and may contain privileged or in confidence
material. Any review, storage, copying, editing, summarising,
transmission, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, by any means,
in whole or part, or taking any action in reliance upon, this information
by persons or entities other than intended recipient are prohibited. If
you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the
material from all computers.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.corrections.govt.nz/
2. http://www.corrections.govt.nz/
3. https://www.facebook.com/CorrectionsNZ/
4. https://nz.linkedin.com/company/departme...
5. https://twitter.com/correctionsnz?lang=en

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