Whare Kaupapa Atawhai/
Conservation House
18 Manners Street
Wellington 6011
Cam Slater
doc.govt.nz
[FYI request #30956 email]
10 June 2025
Tēnā koe Cam
Thank you for your Official Information request to the Department of Conservation (DOC), received
on 12 May 2025, in which you asked for
1. all correspondence between DoC & Forest & Bird about the Cape Sanctuary from
2018 to 2024
2. all correspondence/responses to OIAS between DoC & Kevin Hackwell about the
Cape Sanctuary from 2018 to 2024
3. all internal correspondence from Nicola Toki about the Cape Sanctuary while she
was employed by DoC
4. all correspondence/responses to OIAS between DoC & Nicola Toki about the Cape
Sanctuary from 2018 to 2024.
On 21 May 2025, we advised you that questions 1 and 2 were likely to comprise a large volume of
information and invited you to clarify or refine your request. As we have not received a reply from
you, we must make a decision based on your original request.
Request 1.
I regret to advise you that your request for
all correspondence between DOC & Forest & Bird about
the Cape Sanctuary from 2018 to 2024 is refused under section 18(f) of the OIA, due to the
substantial amount of work that would be required to research and collate the information. An IT
search of emails between @doc.govt.nz and @forest&bird.org.nz email addresses within the
specified timeframe, and containing the key words “Cape Sanctuary,” indicate between 800-900
individual items requiring manual review to determine if they are in scope. To conduct this review,
extract and compile each item would take a considerable amount of time and effort, impacting DOC’s
ability to continue its other operations.
We have considered whether charging or extending the timeframe for responding to your request
would help, as required by section 18A of the OIA, but determined that this would not remove the
reason for refusal.
Request 2.
Your request is an administratively challenging one to deal with. As noted in my correspondence of
21 May, there are approximately 6000 pages of documentation in scope relating to previously
released OIAs. Following an initial review, this has been reduced to approximately 3000 pages, once
duplicates and unrelated material have been removed. An IT search of emails between DOC and Mr
Hackwell has also captured hundreds of additional items requiring manual review to determine if
they are in scope.
Considering the volume of information that has been identified, I intend to meet your request by
making available a summary in preference to providing full copies of the information. We are
permitted to do this under section 16(2) of the OIA because otherwise it would impair the efficient
administration of DOC.
The format of this summary and extent to which information is redacted under sections 6 and 9 of
the OIA are stil to be determined. Therefore, I am extending the 20-working day timeframe, as
allowed under section 15A(1) of the OIA, to make a final decision.
Requests 3 and 4.
I am extending the 20-working day period to make a decision on these aspects of your request, as
the consultations necessary mean that a proper response cannot reasonably be made within the
original time limit.
We anticipate that an additional 40 working
days wil be required and wil send you a response no
later than 6 August 2025, earlier if possible.
You are entitled to seek an investigation and review of my decision and/or extension by writing to an
Ombudsman, as provided by section 28(3) of the OIA.
If you wish to discuss this response to your request, please contac
t [email address].
Nāku noa, nā
Kelley Reeve
Director Governance and Government Services
Department of Conservation
Te Papa Atawhai
