25 June 2025
Steve Glassey
[FYI request #31085 email]
Reference: OIA-2024/25-0928
Tēnā koe Steve,
Official Information Act request relating to Consultation on Strengthening New
Zealand's Emergency Management Legislation
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request received on 25 May 2025.
You requested:
“[1] all submissions received on the “Discussion Document: Strengthening New
Zealand's Emergency Management Legislation”
[1a] to include public submissions up and until 21 May 2025, and
[1b] final submissions made by stakeholder/government agencies or other
organisations prior to the public consultation phase.
[2] Additionally, please also supply any analysis data and reports that evidence how the
public version of the discussion document was formulated
[3] a copy of the related project plan be supplied.”
For ease of reference, I have numbered and reformatted the parts of your request above.
Part 1
Part 1a of your request is refused under section 18(d) of the Act as the submissions will soon
be publicly available
here: https://www.civildefence.govt.nz/cdem-
sector/legislation/emergency-management-bill. Part 1b of your request is refused under section 18(g) of the Act as no submissions by other
agencies, stakeholders, or organisations that predate the consultation period are held by
NEMA, and I do not have reason to believe that these would be held by another agency or
minister that is subject to the Act.
Part 2
On 30 May you clarified that the second part of your request is for,
“a report (or product) […]
that analysed the previous submissions (to the withdrawn EM Bill) and subsequent
stakeholder input through a qualitative analysis/ethnographic content analysis or similar to
ensure policy advice and recommendations are structured and evidence based.”
You further advised that,
“It would be helpful to understand what documents were used
following the withdrawal of the EM Bill (2024) to inform the development of the Discussion
Level 7, TSB Building, 147 Lambton Quay | PO Box 5010 | Wellington 6140 | New Zealand
Tel: +64 4 830 5100 | [email address] | www.civildefence.govt.nz
Document. For example, was a robust analysis using an accepted methodology used (simple
spreadsheet thematic analysis, SPSS data sets), were submissions and feedback analyzed
using AI, or was it organically written etc.”
While submissions on the withdrawn Bill informed the development of the subsequent
Discussion Document, I can advise that no standalone report was prepared regarding these
earlier submissions, nor was a formal methodology employed. Instead, analysis was
conducted using preparatory, table-based approaches.
Officials created thematic tables to collate the issues raised, intended to inform a Departmental
Report for the 2024 Bill. However, as the Bill was ultimately withdrawn, this Report was not
required. Thematic consolidation was therefore limited to two tables: one outlining substantive
policy issues, and the other capturing potential rewrite issues for future reference. These
thematic tables were designed for internal use and preparatory purposes only.
In addition to submissions on the withdrawn Bill, the Discussion Document was also informed
by reports generated from related inquiries and reviews, such as the NISWE Inquiry and TAG
Review:
•
Government Inquiry into the Response to the North Island Severe Weather Events -
dia.govt.nz
•
Ministerial Review: Better Responses to Natural Disasters and Other Emergencies in
New Zealand | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC).
Part 3
I note that while there is a project plan for the Emergency Management Bill itself, no discrete
project plan for the Discussion Document exists. I am therefore refusing this part of your
request under section 18(e) of the Act.
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision under section
28(3) of the Act.
This response will be published on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s website
during our regular publication cycle. Typically, information is released monthly, or as otherwise
determined. Your personal information including name and contact details will be removed for
publication.
Nāku noa, nā,
Stefan Weir
Chief of Staff
5021972
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