Thank you for contacting Hon. Penny Simmonds, Member of Parliament for
Invercargill, Minister for the Environment, Minister for Vocational
Education and Associate Minister for Social Development & Employment.
The Minister considers all correspondence important, however, as she
receives a large amount of correspondence, it is not always possible to
provide a personal response.
Please note the following guidelines:

* If you are an Invercargill constituent contacting the Minister about
an issue, then your email will be passed to her electorate office.
* Invitations and requests to meet with the Minister will be considered
and a staff member will be in touch with you in due course.
* Requests for official information will be managed in accordance with
provisions of the Official Information Act 1982, which may include a
transfer to a more relevant Minister or agency.
* If your email falls outside of the Minister's portfolio
responsibilities, expresses a personal view, or is copied to multiple
Members of Parliament, then your opinion will be noted and your
correspondence may be transferred to another office, or there may be
no further response to you.

Thank you once again for taking the time to write; it is very much
appreciated.
The Office of Hon. Penny Simmonds
(Please note that this acknowledgement is an automatically generated
email.)

Kia ora Tyler,
 
Thank you for your email of 27 June 2025 in which you submitted an
Official Information Act request, which reads as follows:
 
I’m interested about how MfE ended up providing an extra $1,000,000
towards the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme and what involvement the Minister or
staff from her office had.
 
1. When was the Minister (or representatives/staff in her office) first
asked to contribute extra money towards the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme? and
by who?
2. Was the Minister/staff in her office ever asked for an amount other
than $1,000,000 to contribute towards the scheme?
3. If the Minister was the decision maker, when did the Minister decide to
contribute an extra $1,000,000 to the scheme?
4. Please provide all communications from you/ staff in your office,
including emails, txts, app based messages, etc… relating to extra funds
for the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme 5. Please provide all communications
between you/staff in your office and Hon Todd McClay/representatives/staff
in his office regarding the Tarawera Sewerage scheme.
6. Please ensure communications in number 4 above include any
communications with Minister of Finance/her office and the Prime Ministers
Office.
7. Please ensure communications provided in number 4 above include any
communications with Rotorua Lakes Council staff or elected members or
Tarawera residents/representatives.
8. Why did the Minister decide not to make the announcement herself,
instead passing the announcement to someone without responsibility for the
funding, Rotorua MP Hon Todd McClay.
9. Please provide any briefings/memos/cabinet papers/emails/etc related to
the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme
 
Minister Simmonds is considering your request in accordance with the Act,
and you can expect a response by Friday, 25 July 2025.
 
Kind regards,
 

Office of Hon Penny Simmonds
Minister for the Environment | Minister for Vocational Education
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment
MP for Invercargill
 
P: 04 817 6815
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

Authorised by Hon Penny Simmonds, Parliament Buildings, Wellington
 
Disclaimer: The information in this email (including attachments) is
confidential and may be legally privileged. If an addressing or
transmission error has misdirected this email, please notify the author by
replying to this email and destroy the message. If you are not the
intended recipient, any use, disclosure, copying or distribution is
prohibited and may be unlawful.
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Tyler Smith <[1][FOI #31422 email]>
Sent: Friday, 27 June 2025 10:43 pm
To: Penny Simmonds (MIN) <[2][email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Tarawera Sewerage Scheme
 
Dear Penny Simmonds,
 
I’m interested about how MfE ended up providing an extra $1,000,000
towards the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme and what involvement the Minister or
staff from her office had.
 
1. When was the Minister (or representatives/staff in her office) first
asked to contribute extra money towards the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme? and
by who?
2. Was the Minister/staff in her office ever asked for an amount other
than $1,000,000 to contribute towards the scheme?
3. If the Minister was the decision maker, when did the Minister decide to
contribute an extra $1,000,000 to the scheme?
4. Please provide all communications from you/ staff in your office,
including emails, txts, app based messages, etc… relating to extra funds
for the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme 5. Please provide all communications
between you/staff in your office and Hon Todd McClay/representatives/staff
in his office regarding the Tarawera Sewerage scheme.
6. Please ensure communications in number 4 above include any
communications with Minister of Finance/her office and the Prime Ministers
Office.
7. Please ensure communications provided in number 4 above include any
communications with Rotorua Lakes Council staff or elected members or
Tarawera residents/representatives.
8. Why did the Minister decide not to make the announcement herself,
instead passing the announcement to someone without responsibility for the
funding, Rotorua MP Hon Todd McClay.
9. Please provide any briefings/memos/cabinet papers/emails/etc related to
the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme
 
Yours faithfully,
 
Tyler Smith
 
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