17 July 2025
45 Pipitea Street, Thorndon, Wel ington 6011
Phone +64 4 495 7200
Fax +64 4 382 3589
Emai
l [email address]
Websit
e www.dia.govt.nz
Rose Calix
[FYI request #31381 email]
Tēnā koe Rose
Your Official Information Act request OIA 2425 - 1263
I write regarding your Official Information Act (the Act) request, which was received by the
Department of Internal Affairs (the Department) on 24 June 2025.
You have requested:
I am interested to know how much percentage of your staff are working from home (five days
each week), can you please split it by gender and department/team for the past two financial
years.
e.g. Payroll - 50% of staff are working full time from home.
Also, can you provide the different circumstance why staff are allowed to work from home full
time and not required to work on site even at least once a week.
Response to your request
Please find below the response to your request.
I am interested to know how much percentage of your staff are working from home (five days
each week), can you please split it by gender and department/team for the past two financial
years.
The Department supports employees to consider flexible working options (which may include
working from home) that are positive for them, their team and the Department.
The Department has four guiding principles for flexible working:
• Needs to work for everyone – all roles have the potential for different ways of working –
it’s not just ‘working from home’ as there are a range of valid flexible options for our
people to balance work and life. We also need to balance this with our people and
teams to serve and deliver for New Zealanders, communities and government.
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• Not one-size-fits-all – the diversity of the Department’s mahi means that there aren’t set
rules for flexibility as ways of working wil look different depending on the requirements
of the role or type of work our people do.
• Part of who we are – our ways of working are important to our people (present and
future) – it’s central to our principles, behaviours and mātāpono, and to the Department
being a high performing organisation and great place to work.
• Leaders lead out – our leaders are supported to work with their people to agree
arrangements that will work for individuals, teams and the organisation.
Fol owing receipt of the updated Flexible Working (Working from home) guidance from the
Public Service Commission (PSC) in December 2024, the Department reviewed its working from
home guide. To align with the Government’s expectations and ensure performance, employees
whose roles are able to, may work from home up to two days per week with formal approval
from their manager. We are currently working through the implementation and expect
arrangements to be in place by 1 September 2025.
The percentage of employees currently working from home five days per week across the
Department is 1.1 percent.
The tables below provide the percentage of employees in a business group who work from
home five days per week. The Department only has data on working from home col ected in
November 2024 and June 2025. In addition, only the data collected in June 2025 is able to be
broken down by gender.
In June 2025, there were 39 business groups across the Department, 12 of them have
employees who work from home five days a week. In November 2024, there were 47 business
groups and 13 of them had employees who worked from home for five days a week.
I am refusing your request for data for the past two financial years under section 18(e) of the
Act as the information does not exist.
Table 1: percentage of employees who work from home five days per week June 2025
Business Group
Percentage Female Male
Other
Agency Partnerships and Capability
5.9%
2
Government Chief Privacy Officer
Al of Government Services Delivery
1.1%
1
Commissions
1.8%
1
Communications
3.7%
1
Community Operations
8.7%
5
4
1
Digital Services and Solutions
5.6%
4
6
Finance
1.2%
1
Human Resources
2.0%
1
National Library
0.4%
1
Regulatory Services
0.5%
1
Te Waka Aukaha
1.2%
1
Workplace Services
1.6%
1
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Table 2: percentage of employees who work from home five days per week November 2024
Business Group
Percentage
Agency Partnerships and Capability Government Chief Privacy Officer
3.2%
Al of Government Services Delivery
1.3%
Archives New Zealand
0.9%
Charities Services
3.0%
Community Operations
8.4%
Human Resources
8.0%
National Library
1.0%
Regulatory Services
0.8%
Survivor Experiences Service
13.0%
Te Waka Aukaha
1.1%
Technology Services and Solutions
9.8%
Water Services Reform Programme
4.9%
Workplace Services
1.5%
Also, can you provide the different circumstance why staff are allowed to work from home full
time and not required to work on site even at least once a week.
Managers may agree employees may work from home five days per week for a variety of
reasons. For example, for health or disability reasons or to enable reasonable accommodations
to be made to the working environment of an individual.
We intend to publish our response to your request o
n www.dia.govt.nz. This letter, with your
personal details removed, will be published in its entirety. Publishing responses increases the
availability of information to the public and is consistent with the Act’s purpose of enabling
more effective participation in the making and administration of laws and policies and
promoting the accountability of Ministers and officials.
If you have any feedback or questions about the Department’s response, please let us know at
[email address]. If you have any concerns with the information in this response, you have a
right to request an investigation and review by the Ombudsman under section 28(3) of the Act.
Information on how to do this is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone
0800 802.
Nāku noa
Simon George
General Manager, Human Resources - Pūmanawa Tangata
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