23 July 2025
Wayne Scott
Sent via email to
[FYI request #31389 email]
LG25-0169 – Pigeon Island Hut
Dear Wayne,
REQUEST FOR OFFICIAL INFORMATION – DECISION TO REFUSE INFORMATION
Thank you for your request for information held by the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC). On
25 June 2025 you requested the following information under the Local Government Official
Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA):
1. In regard to the public hut, which was previously privately occupied, could you please advise
what steps have been undertaken to make this facility available to the public.
2. Could you please provide copies of all correspondence pertaining to this hut since the date
of my last request.
3. Could you also please advise why this hut is not available to the public and a time frame in
which it will be available to the public.
On 10 July 2025, we contacted you by email with a partial response to items 1 and 3 of your request.
We also advised that item 2, as currently framed, would be very difficult to fulfil without substantial
collation or research. Responding in its current form would require a significant amount of information
and place considerable strain on our operations.
We informed you that if item 2 of your request was not amended, that we may have to refuse it under
section 17(f) of the LGOIMA, which applies where the information cannot be made available without
substantial collation or research.
We requested that you inform us by return email, no later than 14 July 2025, whether you were willing
to amend or clarify item 2 of your request, and if so, in what manner.
As of today's date, we have not received any communication from you.
QLDC RESPONSE
Decision to refuse information
2. Could you please provide copies of all correspondence pertaining to this hut since the date
of my last request.
In response to your request, we searched our email archives for relevant correspondence dated
between 24 August 2023 and 25 June 2025. This search focused on emails containing any of the
phrases ‘Robinson Douglas Hut’, ‘Robertsons Hut’, ‘Robinson Hut’, ‘Smiths Hut’ or ‘Pigeon Island Hut’,
to ensure all potential variations and misinterpretations were captured. The search initially identified
1,980 emails which, following removal of duplicates, will require review to determine whether they
fall within the scope of your request.
We have good grounds under section 17(f) of the LGOIMA for refusing all information requested. We
consider it is necessary to refuse the requested information on the basis of the following grounds:
• Section 17(f) - that the information requested cannot be made available without substantial
collation or research.
We have considered whether charging a fee or extending the response timeframe, as required under
section 17(f) of the LGOIMA, would assist in meeting your request. However, we have determined
that neither charging nor extending the timeframe would help in this situation. Extending the
timeframe would not alleviate the operational challenges we face, and charging would not address
the underlying issue of resource constraints in processing such a large volume of information.
Therefore, neither charging nor an extension would effectively resolve the issue.
In accordance with section 17(f) of the LGOIMA, we consulted with you on 10 July 2025 and advised
that fulfilling your request in its current form would be highly challenging due to the substantial
collation or research required. As we did not receive a response by 23 July 2025, we have decided to
refuse the following part of your request under section 17(f) of the LGOIMA:
Right to review the above decision
Note that you have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about this process is available
at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802
602.
If you wish to discuss this decision with us, please contact
[email address]
(Stakeholder and Democracy Services Manager).
We trust that the above information satisfactorily answers the relevant components of your request.
Kind regards,
Renee
Democracy Services Team
Corporate Services | Queenstown Lakes District Council
P: +64 3 441 0499
E:
[email address]
