Kia Ora Maddison,

 

Thank you for your recent request regarding Penguins in Council Plans made
under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA).
We hereby acknowledge receipt of your request and will proceed with the
necessary actions to address it promptly.

 

Please note that we will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as
possible and no later than Wednesday 20^th August 2025 following
the statutory timeframe of 20 working days after the day your request was
received, as prescribed by LGOIMA.

 

If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of
an extension of that timeframe.

 

Should any additional information or clarification be required, we will
contact you accordingly.

 

 We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to fulfil your
request.

 

Pro-active Release Privacy
Please note that as well as responding In order to protect the privacy of
directly to you, Waitaki District individuals, we will not generally
Council may also choose to release publish information specific to an
responses to requests for information individual or their property, or
on the council website. Information information that identifies
requested by the media, from public individual requesters.
sector organisations and MPs will
always be published.

Further information can be found via the Ombudsman’s office which explains
how Requests for Information are dealt with:
[1]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/   

 

Sincerely,

 

Case Management Team (LGOIMA)

Waitaki District [2]Waitaki District Council Draft District Plan |
Council Let's Talk ...
Private Bag 50058 [3][IMG] [4][IMG] [5][IMG] [6][IMG] 
Oamaru
Waitaki District
Otago 9444
New Zealand
The information transmitted, including attachments, is intended only for
the person(s) or entity to which it is addressed and may contain
confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission,
dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon
this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient
is prohibited. If you received this in error please contact the sender and
destroy any copies of this information.

 

 

From: Maddison Plumridge <[FOI #31719 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 23 July 2025 1:41 pm
To: Lgoima <[Waitaki District Council request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Penguins in council plans

 

Dear Waitaki District Council,

Please supply the following information under the Official Information Act
(OIA) / Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA):

Does council agree penguins exist on beaches in their area?
Does council agree penguins are adversely affected?
Have they got plan objectives concerning them? (biodiversity, fauna) or
similar?
Have they got plan policies concerning them? (biodiversity, fauna) or
similar?
Have they got plan rules concerning them? (biodiversity, fauna) or
similar?
If not rules, do they have other methods concerning them?
If any of the above plan matters apply, is it monitoring them?
Has it acted on monitoring?
Are there dog control bylaws over beach areas?

If you need any more information from me please let me know as soon as
possible.
I understand that a decision on a request for information under the
[OIA/LGOIMA] should be made within 20 working days of receiving that
request.

Yours faithfully,
Maddison Plumridge.

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

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[7][FOI #31719 email]

Is [8][Waitaki District Council request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to Waitaki District Council? If so, please contact us using this
form:
[9]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[10]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

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

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

 

Disclaimer

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relation of the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and
may be unlawful.

This email has been scanned for viruses and malware, and may have been
automatically archived by Mimecast Ltd, an innovator in Software as a
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hide quoted sections

 

 

Tēnā koe Maddison,

 

We refer to your Official Information request dated 23 July 2025 regarding
OIA 1592 - Penguins in Council Plans.

 

You have requested the following information:

Does council agree penguins exist on beaches in their area?
Does council agree penguins are adversely affected?
Have they got plan objectives concerning them? (biodiversity, fauna) or
similar?
Have they got plan policies concerning them? (biodiversity, fauna) or
similar?
Have they got plan rules concerning them? (biodiversity, fauna) or
similar?
If not rules, do they have other methods concerning them?
If any of the above plan matters apply, is it monitoring them?
Has it acted on monitoring?
Are there dog control bylaws over beach areas?

 

Council Officers have reviewed your request and have provided the
following responses:

 

To clarify, under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings
Act 1987 (LGOIMA) Council and Council Employees are distinct concepts.
Council refers to the governing body, including elected members, council
committees and the legal entity of the local authority itself. Council
employees are those individuals employed by the Council to carry out its
functions.  

 

Does council agree penguins exist on beaches in their area?

This question, as currently framed, seeks a statement of opinion from
elected members and council employees. Under the LGOIMA the Council is not
required to create new information or form opinions in order to respond to
a request. Council officers have conducted a search, and no information
relevant to this question appears to exist in an official capacity.
Elected members and council employees have not been approached for
comment, as doing so would constitute the creation of new information,
which falls outside the scope of the Council’s obligations under LGOIMA.

 

Does council agree penguins are adversely affected?
Please refer to response above.

 

Have they got plan objectives concerning them? (biodiversity, fauna) or
similar?
Please see following link to Waitaki District Council’s Waitaki District
Biodiversity Strategy:
[1]waitaki-district-indigenous-biodiversity-strategy.pdf.

Waitaki District Plan Part 2 Sections 16.9.1 – 16.9.5 relate to the issue
of Nature Conservation Values including, objectives, policies,
implementation methods and reasoning, and make reference to penguins and
the coastal environments within the Waitaki District. Please refer to the
following link: [2]District Plan - Waitaki District Plan

Waitaki District Plan Part 4 Appendices – Appendix C – Schedule of Areas
of Significant Nature Conservation Value. Please refer to the following
link:  [3]District Plan - Waitaki District Plan

 

If not rules, do they have other methods concerning them?

Officers within our Property and Facilities Teams have provided the
following responses:

Commercial & Property and Facilities Teams monitor penguins nesting under
Council owned buildings. Council officers in these teams work in
conjunction with the Oamaru Blue Penguin colony and leaseholders to ensure
that council operations or operations housed within/originating from
council-owned buildings do not adversely affect penguins.

 

Commercial & Property and Facilities Teams work with the Oamaru Blue
Penguin Colony to provide advice to contractors tendering for major works
projects in the vicinity of known penguin activity, such as recent repairs
to rock armouring on the mole near Holmes Wharf. Below is an example of
the instruction provided to contractors for the aforementioned works:

Minor works projects include a verbal discussion and an assessment of the
possible risk to penguins and other wildlife present in the area at the
toolbox meeting prior to works commencing.

 

Case officers and Commercial & Property Officers review activities booked
for the Harbour Reserves.  Bookings of the space are subject to control of
noise or disturbance so not to disturb nesting penguins, and advice is
sought when required from the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony. 

 

If any of the above plan matters apply, is it monitoring them?

Council officers responding to this request consider that this question
has been answered in the information supplied or that answers can be found
within the supplied links to information.

 

Has it acted on monitoring?

Council officers responding to this request consider that this question
has been answered in the information supplied or that answers can be found
within the supplied links to information.

 

Are there dog control bylaws over beach areas?

Yes. For clarification of restrictions applied to our beach/coastal areas
please refer to the Waitaki Dog Control Bylaw 2024
[4]wdc-dog-control-bylaw-2024.pdf

 

Pro-active Release Privacy
Please note that as well as responding In order to protect the privacy of
directly to you, Waitaki District individuals, we will not generally
Council may also choose to release publish information specific to an
responses to requests for information individual or their property, or
on the council website. Information information that identifies
requested by the media, from public individual requesters.
sector organisations and MPs will
always be published.

 

Information regarding the LGOIMA process is available at
[5]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.

 

 

If you wish to discuss this information with us, please feel free to
contact: [6][Waitaki District Council request email]

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Case Management (LGOIMA)

Waitaki District [7]Waitaki District Council Draft District Plan |
Council Let's Talk ...
Private Bag 50058 [8][IMG] [9][IMG] [10][IMG] [11][IMG] 
Oamaru
Waitaki District
Otago 9444
New Zealand
The information transmitted, including attachments, is intended only for
the person(s) or entity to which it is addressed and may contain
confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission,
dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon
this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient
is prohibited. If you received this in error please contact the sender and
destroy any copies of this information.

 

 

From: Lgoima <[12][Waitaki District Council request email]>
Sent: Friday, 25 July 2025 11:46 am
To: [13][FOI #31719 email]
Subject: Acknowledgement: OIA 1592 - Penguins in Council Plans

 

Kia Ora Maddison,

 

Thank you for your recent request regarding Penguins in Council Plans made
under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA).
We hereby acknowledge receipt of your request and will proceed with the
necessary actions to address it promptly.

 

Please note that we will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as
possible and no later than Wednesday 20^th August 2025 following
the statutory timeframe of 20 working days after the day your request was
received, as prescribed by LGOIMA.

 

If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of
an extension of that timeframe.

 

Should any additional information or clarification be required, we will
contact you accordingly.

 

 We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to fulfil your
request.

 

Pro-active Release Privacy
Please note that as well as responding In order to protect the privacy of
directly to you, Waitaki District individuals, we will not generally
Council may also choose to release publish information specific to an
responses to requests for information individual or their property, or
on the council website. Information information that identifies
requested by the media, from public individual requesters.
sector organisations and MPs will
always be published.

Further information can be found via the Ombudsman’s office which explains
how Requests for Information are dealt with:
[14]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/   

 

Sincerely,

 

Case Management Team (LGOIMA)

Waitaki District [15]Waitaki District Council Draft District Plan |
Council Let's Talk ...
Private Bag 50058 [16][IMG] [17][IMG] [18][IMG] [19][IMG] 
Oamaru
Waitaki District
Otago 9444
New Zealand
The information transmitted, including attachments, is intended only for
the person(s) or entity to which it is addressed and may contain
confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission,
dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon
this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient
is prohibited. If you received this in error please contact the sender and
destroy any copies of this information.

 

 

From: Maddison Plumridge
<[20][FOI #31719 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 23 July 2025 1:41 pm
To: Lgoima <[21][Waitaki District Council request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Penguins in council plans

 

Dear Waitaki District Council,

Please supply the following information under the Official Information Act
(OIA) / Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA):

Does council agree penguins exist on beaches in their area?
Does council agree penguins are adversely affected?
Have they got plan objectives concerning them? (biodiversity, fauna) or
similar?
Have they got plan policies concerning them? (biodiversity, fauna) or
similar?
Have they got plan rules concerning them? (biodiversity, fauna) or
similar?
If not rules, do they have other methods concerning them?
If any of the above plan matters apply, is it monitoring them?
Has it acted on monitoring?
Are there dog control bylaws over beach areas?

If you need any more information from me please let me know as soon as
possible.
I understand that a decision on a request for information under the
[OIA/LGOIMA] should be made within 20 working days of receiving that
request.

Yours faithfully,
Maddison Plumridge.

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

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[22][FOI #31719 email]

Is [23][Waitaki District Council request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to Waitaki District Council? If so, please contact us using this
form:
[24]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[25]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

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

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

 

Disclaimer

The information contained in this communication from the sender is
confidential. It is intended solely for use by the recipient and others
authorized to receive it. If you are not the recipient, you are hereby
notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking action in
relation of the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and
may be unlawful.

This email has been scanned for viruses and malware, and may have been
automatically archived by Mimecast Ltd, an innovator in Software as a
Service (SaaS) for business. Providing a safer and more useful place for
your human generated data. Specializing in; Security, archiving and
compliance. To find out more [26]Click Here.

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