11 September 2025
Pat
[FYI request #31342 email] Tēnā koe Pat
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00091343 Thank you for your follow-up email in response to our response provided on 24 July 2025. This
was in relation to your request made on 18 June 2025, asking Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
for the following under the Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA):
“I am a New Zealand citizen currently located within New Zealand. Under the Official
Information Act 1982, I request the following information:
As at 18 June 2025, has Health New Zealand (including the Ambulance Team or any other
area) received a copy of the 2025 PWC ambulance remuneration review report
commissioned by Hato Hone St John?
If so, please provide a full copy of that report, including the date it was received by Health
New Zealand.
If the report has not been received, please provide any information held on when Health NZ
expects to receive it.
I also request all internal communication and documentation held by Health NZ relating to
the preparation of the response to my previous OIA request (reference HNZ00088333),
including but not limited to:
1. Internal emails
2. Drafts of the response
3. Communications between the Ambulance Team and the Government Services/OIA team
4. Any related communications with St John.
5. Any advice or commentary received regarding how my OIA request should be interpreted
or answered.
I found the phrasing in your response particularly interesting — specifically the line:
“At the date of your request, the Ambulance Team had not received a copy of the report.”
This wording appears deliberately narrow and suggests the situation may have changed
since my original request. For clarity and transparency, I am seeking confirmation of
whether the report has since been received, and if so, a copy of it.
I would prefer to receive this information in electronic format. If any part of my request is
likely to be refused, I ask that you consider whether the information can be provided in part,
or with appropriate redactions under the Act.”
Response
I acknowledge the delay in providing our response. This reflects the high volume of requests and
the understandably high public interest in our work, and the intricacy of your particular request, but
the time taken is not ideal.
As you are aware, our response (reference HNZ00091343 on 24 July) to your follow-up email of 18
June 2025 noted that Health NZ had subsequently received the PWC report in question and
provided the grounds for refusing to release it. Those grounds have not changed.
Please refer to our response below to the following part of your request.
I also request all internal communication and documentation held by Health NZ relating to
the preparation of the response to my previous OIA request (reference HNZ00088333),
including but not limited to:
1. Internal emails
2. Drafts of the response
3. Communications between the Ambulance Team and the Government Services/OIA team
4. Any related communications with St John.
5. Any advice or commentary received regarding how my OIA request should be interpreted
or answered.
Please note, rather than releasing this information to you in full, we have decided to release a
summary of it under section 16(1)(e) of the OIA. This is because releasing the correspondence on
the processing of your previous request would harm the effective conduct of public affairs
through the free and frank expression of opinions under section 9(2)(g)(i). Releasing the
information would mean that the relevant staff wil not be wil ing to convey their unguarded opinions
in the future, which is a core part of their role. You may wish to refer to a
relevant case note on the
Ombudsman’s website.
Please refer to the timeline of work done in regard to your previous OIA request (reference
HNZ00088333):
20 May
• Request assigned to OIA advisor
• Commissioned to Business Unit (Planning, Funding and Outcomes (PFO))
• PFO confirmed scoping to collate information with subject matter experts (SMEs) in PFO
• PFO SMEs provided some information for the response
22 May
• An initial draft was presented to the SMEs for review
• SMEs reviewed the draft with some amendments and feedback and were progressing the
response for further review
26 May
• OIA Advisor sought advice from OIA Senior Advisor on lines for the draft response
• OIA Advisor contacted SMEs about the draft response and advised on further information
needed for the response
• SMEs clarified what information the Ambulance Team had received and advised they would
consult with ACC re review of the draft response (as required due to ACC having oversight
of the Ambulance Team, alongside Health NZ
29 May
• PFO provided update on consultation with Ambulance team
30 May
• PFO advised that the Ambulance Team had on 28 May (i.e. subsequent to your original
OIA request) received the PWC report in question. This was shared strictly in-confidence
and with limited distribution.
3 June
• OIA advisor provided updated response to SMEs for review and approval
5 June
• SMEs provided feedback on some redactions for external names in the correspondence set
to be released
• OIA Advisor updated response and info with red box redactions based on SMEs’ feedback
6 June
• Updated versions of the updated response was provided to SMEs to consult with Hato
Hone St John (HHStJ) on the intended response and progress approval within PFO
11 June
• SMEs asked for clarity on the correct approach to responding to the OIA request,
particularly considering the OIA requested that, if the PWC report in question was provided,
then to release it. While the PWC report had been received in-confidence since the OIA
request was made, and while the response was being drafted, the OIA team advised that,
technically, the report in question had not been received within the date range in scope of
the request (as at 18 May 2025).
12 June
• Updated response approved by PFO and ACC
• Response sent to OIA team for review process to Principal Advisor
16 June
• Updates made to response by Principal Advisor. Advised to get Legal review before the
response is sent to the requestor
17 June
• OIA response was sent to Legal team for review
18 June
• Legal team reviewed completed
• OIA response sent back to Principal Advisor for final approval.
• OIA response sent to requestor.
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[email address]. If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Health NZ may proactively
release a copy of this response on our website. Al requester data, including your name and
contact details, wil be removed prior to release.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Danielle Coe
Manager (OIAs) – Government Services
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
