Kia ora John

 

Thank you for your request for information about Recovery Office
Expenditure on sustainability initiatives in relation to the use of
external consultants.

 

We have attached an information sheet on our processes and requirements
under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.

 

We will respond to your request as soon as possible and in any event no
later than 20 working days after the day your request was received. This
will be by 16 July 2025.

 

If you have further questions please feel free to contact Molly Janes via
reply email to [1][Auckland Council request email] quoting
reference 8140016479

 

 

Ngā mihi,

The Privacy and LGOIMA team

Auckland Council

 

 

 

From: John Smith <[FOI #31326 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 17 June 2025 1:22 pm
To: Official Information <[email address]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Official Information request - Requesting the Mayor’s
Office to clarify the Recovery Office’s use of consultants, cost controls,
and procurement process for house relocators.

 

Caution: This is an external email. Please check email address is from a
trusted sender before taking action or clicking on links.

Dear Office of the Mayor,

I am writing to request information under the Local Government Official
Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA), specifically regarding the
operations of the Auckland Council Recovery Office.

In light of the recent increase in rates, and acknowledging the Mayor’s
publicly stated commitment to avoiding unnecessary spending, I am seeking
clarification on how the Recovery Office is managing its expenditure on
sustainability initiatives, particularly in relation to the use of
external consultants.

Specifically, I request the following information:

1. Use of Sustainability Consultants Despite Prequalified Panel
Contractors
Auckland Council’s Deconstruction Panel was established through a
competitive procurement process that placed strong emphasis on
environmental and sustainability credentials. The panel consists of
contractors with demonstrated expertise in sustainable deconstruction,
structural dismantling, and house removal. As part of that process,
several very capable companies, including Ward Demolition and Yakka, were
found not to meet the required environmental benchmark and were therefore
not appointed.

Given this context:
a. Why is the Recovery Office engaging additional sustainability
consultants?

b. What specific capability gaps are these consultants addressing that are
not already covered by the deconstruction panel contractors?

c. What steps are being taken to avoid duplication of expertise or
unnecessary cost?

2. Cost Control and Value-for-Money Mechanisms

Please describe the internal processes, tools, or frameworks used by the
Recovery Office to ensure sustainability-related spending delivers best
value for money. In particular:

a. Are sustainability consultants engaged on a project-by-project basis,
or are they retained more generally across the programme of work?

b. Are formal cost-benefit assessments, benchmarking tools, or similar
evaluations applied before consultants are engaged?

c. Is there a requirement to demonstrate that consultant input cannot be
sourced from within the existing Deconstruction Panel?

d. How is the performance and impact of sustainability consultants
assessed following their engagement, and are those results reviewed or
reported?

e. Are there any tools or evaluation methods used during or after a
project that specifically measure and demonstrate the financial benefit of
having these consultants on board?

3. Oversight by the Mayor’s Office

a. What oversight or review function does the Mayor’s Office have over the
Recovery Office’s sustainability-related expenditure?

b. Has the Mayor or the Office issued any guidance, expectations, or
thresholds to ensure that such spending is necessary, cost-effective, and
aligned with Council’s procurement framework, particularly where qualified
panel providers are already in place?

d. Can the Mayor’s Office confirm whether house relocation contractors
have been subject to the same panel procurement process as deconstruction
contractors? If not, what is the justification for this difference?

e. If contractors such as Ward Demolition and Yakka were excluded from the
panel for not meeting environmental benchmarks, what criteria or process
permitted the appointment of house relocators who may not have been held
to the same standard? These contractors, along with others, invested
thousands of dollars in preparing formal submissions and presentations to
meet the Council’s benchmark requirements. Given that level of commitment
and scrutiny, it is important to understand whether the same level of
rigour has been applied consistently across all supplier categories.

Given the financial pressure currently being placed on Auckland
ratepayers, I believe there is strong public interest in ensuring that
Recovery Office spending is not only environmentally principled but also
fiscally disciplined and consistent with Council procurement strategy.

Yours faithfully,

John Smith

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

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show quoted sections

Kia ora John

 

Our response to your request for information is attached. Thank you for
your patience as we prepared this information for you.

If you have any questions, please contact me at
 [1][email address]

 

Ngā mihi | Kind regards,

Molly Janes

Te Hoa Kaipakihi Pārongo Matatapu, Ōkawa hoki | Privacy and Official
Information Business Partner

Te Wheako ā-Kirihoko me ngā Ratonga Matihiko | Customer Experience &
Digital Services

Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland Council 

135 Albert Street, Auckland 

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