Dear Samuel,

As consultations necessary to make a decision on your request are such
that a response cannot reasonably be given within the original time limit,
the University has extended the time limit for your request until 11
November 2025 under section 15A(1)(b) of the OIA. We will respond to your
request as soon as reasonably practicable.

 You have the right to make a complaint to an Ombudsman if you are
dissatisfied with this extension.

Yours sincerely,

 

Landon Watt
Legal Advisor
Office of the Vice-Chancellor

Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland  

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Samuel Mehr <[1][FOI #32316 email]>

Sent: Monday, 15 September 2025 1:38 pm

To: legal <[2][University of Auckland request email]>

Subject: Official Information request - What consulting companies is
Auckland Uni working with and how much are the companies being paid?

 

Dear University of Auckland,

 

Could you please provide a list of contracts the University entered into,
in 2024 and 2025, with external consulting firms; the topic of the work
undertaken (e.g., strategic planning); and the total cost of each contract
to the University?

 

The companies could include, for example, Nous Group, McKinsey, PwC,
Deloitte, and any other firms commonly referred to as "consultancies" or
"consulting companies".

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Samuel Mehr

 

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

 

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

 

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[3][FOI #32316 email]

 

Is [4][University of Auckland request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to University of Auckland? If so, please contact us using this
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[5]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

 

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page.

 

 

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

 

References

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Dear Samuel,

 

I refer to your request of 15 September 2025.I apologise for the delay in
the University's response. The University’s response follows.

 

“Could you please provide a list of contracts the University entered into,
in 2024 and 2025, with external consulting firms; the topic of the work
undertaken (e.g., strategic planning); and the total cost of each contract
to the University”

 

We cannot provide all the information requested without substantial
collation or research. The official information held by the University
which we can provide without substantial collation or research is as
follows:

 

Supplier Currency 2024 2025   Total Nature of work
payments payments (2024–2025)
Multidisciplinary
consulting
PWC services
Consulting including
New NZD 414,466.77 199,427.25   613,894.02 strategy, digital
Zealand LP transformation,
technology, and
organisational
change advisory.
Strategic design
Nous Group and performance,
Pty NZD 169174.74 304627.97   473802.71 and
Limited transformation
services.
Insights Organisational
Catalyst AUD   9(2)(b)(ii)   9(2)(b)(ii) design and
Advisory strategy
Pty Ltd development.

 

The information provided above is not complete and we do not warrant its
accuracy - in particular, the descriptions in “nature of work” are
indicative only. Detailed and accurate financial information is provided
in the financial statements included in the University’s Annual Reports.
The University’s response constitutes a partial refusal of your request
under section 18(f) of the OIA. Further, the information requested for
Insights Catalyst Advisory Pty Ltd is withheld under section 9(2)(b)(ii)
to protect information where the making available of the information would
be likely unreasonably to prejudice their commercial position. You have
the right to make a complaint to an Ombudsman if you are dissatisfied with
the University’s response.

 

Yours sincerely,

Landon Watt
Legal Advisor
Office of the Vice-Chancellor

Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Samuel Mehr <[1][FOI #32316 email]>

Sent: Monday, 15 September 2025 1:38 pm

To: legal <[2][University of Auckland request email]>

Subject: Official Information request - What consulting companies is
Auckland Uni working with and how much are the companies being paid?

 

Dear University of Auckland,

 

Could you please provide a list of contracts the University entered into,
in 2024 and 2025, with external consulting firms; the topic of the work
undertaken (e.g., strategic planning); and the total cost of each contract
to the University?

 

The companies could include, for example, Nous Group, McKinsey, PwC,
Deloitte, and any other firms commonly referred to as "consultancies" or
"consulting companies".

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Samuel Mehr

 

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

 

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

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[3][FOI #32316 email]

 

Is [4][University of Auckland request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to University of Auckland? If so, please contact us using this
form:

[5]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:

[6]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.

 

 

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

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #32316 email]
2. mailto:[University of Auckland request email]
3. mailto:[FOI #32316 email]
4. mailto:[University of Auckland request email]
5. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
6. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

hide quoted sections

Dear Samuel,
I have looked into issue you raised concerning the table in the
University's response. Unfortunately fyi.org.nz does not appear to support
the html format for emails, so I believe their system converted the email
to plain text, which removed the table formatting from the data provided
to you by the University. I have provided that data again in an Excel
document, attached.
I do not believe the University's annual reports contain the external
consulting information requested; if this information was set out in our
annual reports, we would have provided you with copies of these or
alternatively directed you to the reports on our website and refused the
request under section 18(d), on the ground the information requested was
publicly available.
Yours sincerely,

Landon Watt
Legal Advisor
Office of the Vice-Chancellor

Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland 

 

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

From: Samuel Mehr <[FOI #32316 email]>
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2025 11:27 AM
To: Landon Watt <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Official Information Act request - UoA ref 2025-OIA-0230-Mehr
- response
Dear Landon Watt,

Thank you again for your response to my request. I have what I hope is a
brief follow-up request.

First, it appears that there was a copy/paste error in the text formatting
of your response, making it difficult to read the information
corresponding to each of the three suppliers. Could you please provide
either a screenshot of a clearly formatted table, or paste a
non-tab-delimited version of the information? (For example, "PWC Services"
appears to be the name of the first supplier, but I cannot tell which
other portions of the text correspond to the "Nature of work" for PWC
Services - is it "Multidisciplinary consulting" or also "LP
transformation, technology, and organisational change advisory", or
something else? This applies to all rows of the table, which are not
currently visible in the OIA response).

Second, in your response you state that "Detailed and accurate financial
information is provided in the financial statements included in the
University’s Annual Reports.” Can you please indicate the page number and
line number in the financial statements in the 2024 Annual Report where I
can find further information about the total costs of external consulting
to the university? I am having trouble finding the total costs of external
consulting in the 2024 Annual Report.

Many thanks for your time in responding to this request.

Samuel Mehr

-----Original Message-----

Dear Samuel,

  

 I refer to your request of 15 September 2025.I apologise for the delay in
 the University's response. The University’s response follows.

  

 “Could you please provide a list of contracts the University entered
into,
 in 2024 and 2025, with external consulting firms; the topic of the work
 undertaken (e.g., strategic planning); and the total cost of each
contract
 to the University”

  

 We cannot provide all the information requested without substantial
 collation or research. The official information held by the University
 which we can provide without substantial collation or research is as
 follows:

  

 Supplier Currency 2024 2025   Total Nature of work
 payments payments (2024–2025)
 Multidisciplinary
 consulting
 PWC services
 Consulting including
 New NZD 414,466.77 199,427.25   613,894.02 strategy, digital
 Zealand LP transformation,
 technology, and
 organisational
 change advisory.
 Strategic design
 Nous Group and performance,
 Pty NZD 169174.74 304627.97   473802.71 and
 Limited transformation
 services.
 Insights Organisational
 Catalyst AUD   9(2)(b)(ii)   9(2)(b)(ii) design and
 Advisory strategy
 Pty Ltd development.

  

 The information provided above is not complete and we do not warrant its
 accuracy - in particular, the descriptions in “nature of work” are
 indicative only. Detailed and accurate financial information is provided
 in the financial statements included in the University’s Annual Reports.
 The University’s response constitutes a partial refusal of your request
 under section 18(f) of the OIA. Further, the information requested for
 Insights Catalyst Advisory Pty Ltd is withheld under section 9(2)(b)(ii)
 to protect information where the making available of the information
would
 be likely unreasonably to prejudice their commercial position. You have
 the right to make a complaint to an Ombudsman if you are dissatisfied
with
 the University’s response.

  

 Yours sincerely,

 Landon Watt
 Legal Advisor
 Office of the Vice-Chancellor

 Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland 

  

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #32316 email]

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

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
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page.

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