OIA25-0538
3 October 2025
Valerie Morse
[FYI request #30809 email]
Dear Valerie,
I am writing in response to the request for information you made on 23 April 2025, for documents
associated with the Forestry and Wood Processing Industry Transformation Plan application by
Bioplant Tairāwhiti (MPI reference: OIA25-0284). Following your subsequent complaint to the
Ombudsman, MPI has reconsidered your request under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (OIA).
You requested the following:
The project received ITP co-funding to support the pre-consent activity including:
•
Geo-technical studies
•
Health report
•
Emission report
•
Cultural impact assessment are all complete”
Please provide the ITP application and approval documents (including any substantive
evaluation of the project) and including the amount of funding, and the reports produced
with that funding as listed above.
On 14 May, MPI advised you that your request was declined under section 9(2)(j) –
to enable a
Minister of the Crown or any department or organisation holding the information to carry out,
without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (MPI reference: OIA25-0284)
.
We advised that we would be happy to provide the information at the conclusion of the application
for resource consent, however we also understand that there are public interest considerations
whenever funding is granted by a government agency. We also understand that, to date, the
company has not yet applied for resource consent.
Please find attached as Appendix One, the investment proposal template that was used to apply
for co-funding under the Forestry and Wood Processing Industry Transformation Plan fund. Please
note that some information has been withheld under section 9(2)(a) and section 9(2)(b)(ii) of the
OIA.
It is important to note that, MPI assessed projects in line with the aims of the Industry
Transformation Plan but did not conduct any substantive evaluation of individual projects.
Information about the goals of the plan can be seen here:
https:/ www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/55684-Final-Forestry-and-Wood-Processing-Industry-
Transformation-Plan-Report/
As noted in our response to OIA25-0284, Bioplant Tairāwhiti received co-funding to support pre-
consent activity including the commissioning of the reports noted in your request.
Charles Fergusson Building
38–42 Bowen Street
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140, New Zealand
mpi.govt.nz
We have assessed all of the reports that were produced with this funding for release, and consider
that they still need to be withheld in full under the following sections of the OIA:
• Section 9(2)(a) –
to protect the privacy of natural persons.
• Section 9(2)(b)(ii) –
to protect information where the making available of the information
would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the commercial position of the person who is the
subject of the information.
• Section 9(2)(ba)(i) –
to protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence,
where the making available of the information would be likely to prejudice the supply of
similar information and it is in the public interest that such information should continue to be
supplied.
• Section 9(2)(j) –
to enable a Minister of the Crown or any department or organisation
holding the information to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations.
However, in accordance with section 16(1)(e) of the OIA, I am able to release the titles and a
summary of each document. Please refer to Appendix Two for these summaries.
In accordance with section 9(1) of the OIA, we have also considered countervailing public interest
relating to the release of the information. We are satisfied that in this case, public interest
considerations do not outweigh the withholding reasons outlined above.
Should you have any concerns with this response, I would encourage you to raise these with the
Ministry for Primary Industries at
[email address]. Alternatively, you are
advised of your right to also raise any concerns with the Of ice of the Ombudsman. Contact details
are: Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143 or at
[email address].
Yours sincerely,
Olivia Sullivan
Director Forestry System
2
