Blocked Advocacy Services by N4L
Erika Whittome made this Official Information request to The Network for Learning Limited
The Network for Learning Limited did not have the information requested.
From: Erika Whittome
Dear The Network for Learning Limited,
N4L has many safe lists and blocked lists for internet access for its customers . One of the categories that is blocked (on school internet for example) is the category “Advocacy Services”.
I request all the information on this category Advocacy Services since 1 Jan 2020,
1 I request the lists of the sites that are blocked under the category “Advocacy Services”
2 All the meeting minutes with the N4L CEO and ministry of education,
3 the memos, ICT tickets, requests erc for each of these “advocacy services” sites for when the request to Block them and the decision to block them was actioned by N4L. Please include the UrL of the site that is being blocked.
Note: This request is for the information, meeting minutes, memos, etc since 1 Jan 2020
Yours faithfully,
Erika Whittome
From: N4L Support
The Network for Learning Limited
Kia ora ,
Thank you for your email. We’ll action your request as soon as we can.
In the meantime, we've assigned you with case number [1]00673127 in
regards to your query of Official Information request - Blocked Advocacy
Services by N4L.
You can track the progress of your case by using Support Hub. If you
already have an account, click the case number to access this.
Don't have an account or would like to know more? Follow this [2]link or
reply to this email and the team will get you activated.
Alternatively, if you’re experiencing a fault that requires urgent
attention, please reference your case number and contact Customer Support
on 0800 LEARNING.
Ngā mihi,
The team at Network for Learning
[3]Network for Learning
[4]Network for Learning
[5]0800 LEARNING | [6][N4L request email]
References
Visible links
1. https://support.n4l.co.nz/s/case/500Mo00...
2. https://support.n4l.co.nz/
3. https://www.n4l.co.nz/
4. https://www.n4l.co.nz/
5. file:///tmp/tel:0800532764
6. mailto:[N4L request email]
From: Sandy Brown
The Network for Learning Limited
27 August 2025
Erika Whittome
[1][FOI #32060 email]
Official information request for information concerning choice of Ruckus
network equipment
I acknowledge receipt of your official information request dated 19 August
2025 for information concerning filtering of the Advocacy Services
We received your request on 19 August 2025. We will endeavour to respond
to your request as soon as possible and in any event no later than 16
September 2022, being 20 working days after the day your request was
received. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will
notify you of an extension of that timeframe.
I will be handling your request. If you have any queries, please feel free
to contact me on 027 807 0010. If any additional factors come to light
which are relevant to your request, please do not hesitate to contact us
so that these can be taken into account.
Yours sincerely
Sandy Brown
Chief Government Affairs Officer
The Network for Learning Ltd
M +64 27 807 0010 P 0800 LEARNING
A Level 3/354 Lambton Quay Wellington Central Wellington 6011
A PO Box 37118, Parnell, Auckland 1151
[2][IMG]
This email, including attachments, may contain information which is
confidential or privileged material. If you are not the intended
recipient, please notify us immediately and then delete this email from
your system. Email communications are not secure and are not guaranteed by
The Network for Learning to be free of unauthorised interference, error or
virus. Anyone who communicates with us by email is taken to accept this
risk. Anything in this email which does not relate to the official
business of The Network for Learning is neither given nor endorsed by The
Network for Learning.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #32060 email]
2. https://www.n4l.co.nz/
From: Erika Whittome
Dear Sandy Brown,
Thank you for your message. It appears the category is called Advocacy Organizations. (not services). Kindly share the requested information above for Advocacy Organizations under the act.
Yours sincerely,
Erika Whittome
From: Sandy Brown
The Network for Learning Limited
Kia ora Erika
Thank you for your email. I will adjust the request accordingly.
Nga mihi
Sandy Brown
Sandy Brown
Chief Government Affairs Officer
The Network for Learning Ltd
M +64 27 807 0010 P 0800 LEARNING
A Level 3/354 Lambton Quay Wellington Central Wellington 6011
A PO Box 37118, Parnell, Auckland 1151
[1][IMG]
show quoted sections
From: Sandy Brown
The Network for Learning Limited
Dear Erika Whittome
Thank you for your email of 19 August 2025 to Network for Learning (N4L)
requesting the following information:
N4L has many safe lists and blocked lists for internet access for its
customers . One of the categories that is blocked (on school internet for
example) is the category “Advocacy Services”.
I request all the information on this category Advocacy Services since 1
Jan 2020,
1 I request the lists of the sites that are blocked under the category
“Advocacy Services”
2 All the meeting minutes with the N4L CEO and ministry of education,
3 the memos, ICT tickets, requests erc for each of these “advocacy
services” sites for when the request to Block them and the decision to
block them was actioned by N4L. Please include the UrL of the site that is
being blocked.
Note: This request is for the information, meeting minutes, memos, etc
since 1 Jan 2020
N4L’s filtering system provides individual schools with the option to
block access across a wide variety of categories, of which advocacy
organisations is one. The process of categorising sites is dynamic, with
the lists being constantly updated. The work to identify and categorise
sites is not conducted by N4L, but rather by third-party technology
vendors who provide the filtering systems. The vendors do not make these
lists available to N4L. Therefore in response to part one of your
request, the list of sites that are blocked under the category advocacy
sites is refused under section 18(g) of the Act, as the information
requested is not held by N4L.
N4L and the Ministry do not make decisions about which categories are
blocked; that is a matter for each individual school to determine what is
appropriate for them and their community. As such, the N4L CEO and the
Ministry of Education did not conduct meetings on this topic.Therefore,
part two of your request is refused under section 18(e) of the Act, as the
documents alleged to contain the information requested do not exist.
N4L does, at the request of a school, have the ability to either add to
the list of sites or categories blocked or to remove a site or category
from the blocked list. Over the period you have requested, we have
identified a number of requests made by a school to N4L to have either a
site or the category of advocacy organisations blocked or unblocked.
This information is provided in the attached spreadsheet. Please note
that all redactions in the attached document are under section 9 2(a) of
the Act, to protect the privacy of natural persons.
Thank you again for your email. You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to
review my decision on your request, in accordance with section 28 of the
Act. You can do this by writing to [1][email address] or to
Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.
Yours sincerely
Sandy Brown
Sandy Brown
Chief Government Affairs Officer
The Network for Learning Ltd
M +64 27 807 0010 P 0800 LEARNING
A Level 3/354 Lambton Quay Wellington Central Wellington 6011
A PO Box 37118, Parnell, Auckland 1151
[2][IMG]
This email, including attachments, may contain information which is
confidential or privileged material. If you are not the intended
recipient, please notify us immediately and then delete this email from
your system. Email communications are not secure and are not guaranteed by
The Network for Learning to be free of unauthorised interference, error or
virus. Anyone who communicates with us by email is taken to accept this
risk. Anything in this email which does not relate to the official
business of The Network for Learning is neither given nor endorsed by The
Network for Learning.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://www.n4l.co.nz/
From: Erika Whittome
Dear Sandy Brown,
Regarding request #1, you have not provided all the information. You have just supplied a few requests for whitelists which is a subset of the full information set and that is insufficient under the Act.
I requested the lists of the sites that are blocked under the category “Advocacy Services”.
Your recent reply said:
"The work to identify and categorise sites is not conducted by N4L, but rather by third-party technology
vendors who provide the filtering systems. The vendors do not make these lists available to N4L."
N4L will have an agreement with the third party technology vendor whom I believe is Fortinet. This response is insufficient because N4L may request the information from Fortinet about the Fortiguard product. Fortinet can supply these lists and furthermore, N4L can rely on their commercial agreement with Fortinet to obtain such lists by, for example, opening a support ticket with Fortinet.
Would you kindly reconsider the response before I complain to the Ombudsman about the information not being supplied on the lists of the sites that are blocked under the category “Advocacy Services”?
Yours sincerely,
Erika Whittome
From: Sandy Brown
The Network for Learning Limited
Dear Erika Whittome
The work to identify and categorise sites is not conducted by N4L, but
rather by third-party technology vendors who provide the filtering
systems. The vendors do not make these lists available to N4L, nor does
N4L have a contractual entitlement to this information.
Therefore your request for the list of sites that are blocked under the
category advocacy sites is refused under section 18(g) of the Act, as the
information requested is not held by N4L.
Nga mihi
Sandy Brown
Sandy Brown
Chief Government Affairs Officer
The Network for Learning Ltd
M +64 27 807 0010 P 0800 LEARNING
A Level 3/354 Lambton Quay Wellington Central Wellington 6011
A PO Box 37118, Parnell, Auckland 1151
[1][IMG]
show quoted sections
From: Erika Whittome
Dear Sandy Brown,
You said, "The vendors do not make these lists available to N4L"
Kindly provide the information that you have asked for this list sites blocked under "advocacy organizations" and this has been denied by your vendor Fortinet.
Yours sincerely,
Erika Whittome
From: Sandy Brown
The Network for Learning Limited
Kia ora Erika Whittome
On 22 September, you requested:
the information that you have asked for this list sites blocked under
"advocacy organizations" and this has been denied by your vendor Fortinet.
N4L has confirmed this with Fortinet, and I have attached the relevant
email. Please note that all redactions in the attached document are under
section 9 2(a) of the Act, to protect the privacy of natural persons.
You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to review my decision on your
request, in accordance with section 28 of the Act. You can do this by
writing to [1][email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman,
PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.
Yours sincerely
Sandy Brown
Sandy Brown
Chief Government Affairs Officer
The Network for Learning Ltd
M +64 27 807 0010 P 0800 LEARNING
A Level 3/354 Lambton Quay Wellington Central Wellington 6011
A PO Box 37118, Parnell, Auckland 1151
[2][IMG]
This email, including attachments, may contain information which is
confidential or privileged material. If you are not the intended
recipient, please notify us immediately and then delete this email from
your system. Email communications are not secure and are not guaranteed by
The Network for Learning to be free of unauthorised interference, error or
virus. Anyone who communicates with us by email is taken to accept this
risk. Anything in this email which does not relate to the official
business of The Network for Learning is neither given nor endorsed by The
Network for Learning.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://www.n4l.co.nz/
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