PSME OI 25 050 Kate A response letter.pdf

PSME-OI-25-050 | OIAM-877
28 November 2025
Kate A
[email address]
Dear Kate
Thank you for your email of 2 October 2025 requesting the following under the Of icial
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
Pursuant to the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following information. I
have itemised my request into clear sections, consistent with the Ombudsman’s
guidance for specificity and ease of processing.
1. Correspondence and Advice with Specified Organisations
Please provide all briefings, memos, meeting advice notes, and correspondence
(including emails, letters, and file notes) between you and your office staff, and the
following organisations, from 1 January 2025 to the present:
a) The Trust for the Destruction of Synthetic Refrigerants (Cool-Safe)
b) A-Gas New Zealand
c) Beijer Ref and any subsidiaries
d) RefDestruct
e) Heat Pump Suppliers Association
f) Institute of Refrigeration, Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers of New Zealand
(IHRACE)
2. Synthetic Refrigerants Product Stewardship Scheme Please provide all briefings,
memos, and advice prepared for you or your office regarding the synthetic
refrigerants product stewardship scheme, from 1 January 2025 to the present.
3. Meeting-Specific Briefings and Notes
Please provide all briefing papers, meeting notes, memos, or other advice prepared
for your office in advance of, or following, the following meetings:
a) A-Gas New Zealand meeting with Mitchell Wil iamson – 5 March 2025
b) Chemical Destruction Services meeting with Clifton Madgwick, Michelle Kazor, and
Aimie Hines – 27 March 2025
c) Trust for the Destruction of Synthetic Refrigerants (Cool-Safe) meeting with Janine
Brinsdon and Michelle Kazor – 1 April 2025
d) Heat Pump Suppliers Association meeting with Darryl Rochester and Greg Picker
– 15 May 2025

I have identified thirteen documents in scope of part one of your request, as listed in the
document schedule below.
I am releasing one document to you in full.
I am releasing twelve documents to you in part, with some information withheld under the
following sections of the Act:
9(2)(a)
to protect the privacy of natural persons.
9(2)(ba)(i)   to protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence or which
any person has been or could be compelled to provide under the authority of
any enactment, where the making available of the information would be likely
to prejudice the supply of similar information, or information from the same
source, and it is in the public interest that such information should continue
to be supplied.
9(2)(f)(iv)  to maintain the constitutional conventions for the time being which protect
the confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers of the Crown and officials.
9(2)(h)
to maintain legal professional privilege.
9(2)(i)
to enable a Minister of the Crown or any public service agency or
organisation holding the information to carry out, without prejudice or
disadvantage, commercial activities.
In terms of section 9(1) of the Act, I am satisfied that, in the circumstances, the withholding of
information in this request is not outweighed by other considerations that render it desirable
to make the information available in the public interest.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Office of the Ombudsman of my
decisions relating to this request, in accordance with section 28(3) of the Act. The relevant
details can be found at: www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
Please contact my office if you have any queries about this response.
Yours sincerely
Hon. Penny Simmonds
Minister for the Environment

Document schedule
#  Date
Code
Title
Decision
Grounds
Link/Notes
20250730_PS-COR1354
Letter from Hon Penny
1  30/07/2025  Simmonds
Released in part
9(2)(ba)(i), 9(2)(i)
20250704_Letter to
2  4/07/2025  Environment Minister
Released in part
9(2)(a), 9(2)(ba)(i)
20250305_MEETING_Mitch
Williamson - General
Manager_ A-Gas NZ     Re_
3  5/03/2025  Refrigerants
Released in part
9(2)(a)
20251003_FW_ Legal
opinion in support of prior
9(2)(a), 9(2)(ba)(i),
4  6/10/2025  letter
Released in part
9(2)(f)(iv), 9(2)(h
FW: Critical risks to product
stewardship for fluorinated
5  17/09/2025  gases
Released in part
9(2)(a), 9(2)(f)(iv)
Janine Brinsdon - CE &
Michelle Kazor –
Independent Trustee from
Trust for the Destruction of
Synthetic Refrigerants
9(2)(a), 9(2)(ba)(i),
6  1/04/2025  (Cool-Safe)
Released in part
9(2)(f)(iv)
20250609_FW_ Trust for the
Destruction of Synthetic
Refrigerants - Cool-Safe
7  9/06/2025  meeting request
Released in part
9(2)(a)
Re: Trust for the Destruction
of Synthetic Refrigerants
8  31/07/2025  meeting request
Released in part
9(2)(a)
20250909_FW_ Letter to
9(2)(a), 9(2)(ba)(i),
9  9/09/2025  Hon Penny Simmonds
Released in part
9(2)(f)(iv)
PS-COR1038 | Letter from
10  31/03/2025  Minister Simmonds
Released in full
RE_ Refrigerant product
9(2)(a), 9(2)(ba)(i),
11  5/03/2025  stewardship regulations
Released in part
9(2)(f)(iv)
20250515_MEETING_Darryl
Rochester - Chairperson &
Greg Picker - Director - New
Zealand Heat Pump
9(2)(a), 9(2)(ba)(i),
12  20/10/2025  Suppliers Association
Released in part
9(2)(f)(iv)
20250324_FW_ Request for
9(2)(a), 9(2)(ba)(i),
13  25/03/2025  a meeting
Released in part
9(2)(f)(iv)