Asylum Seekers Support Trust (ASST) Funding Agreements since 2023
Patricia Brevis made this Official Information request to Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Currently waiting for a response from Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, they must respond promptly and normally no later than (details and exceptions).
From: Patricia Brevis
Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,
Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request access to the following official documents:
1. Contracts and funding agreements
All contracts, service agreements, and funding documents between the New Zealand Government (including Immigration New Zealand, MBIE, and any other agencies) and Asylum Seekers Support Trust (ASST) for the years 2025, 2026 and subsequent periods.
2. Specific budget documents
Budget allocations, funding proposals and approvals related to asylum seeker support services provided by ASST from January 2025 onwards.
3. Official correspondence
All correspondence between government officials and ASST representatives regarding contract renewals, funding extensions or new agreements for 2025-2026.
4. Evaluations and reports
Service evaluation reports, performance reviews or cost analyses related to ASST services funded by the government for the 2025-2026 period.
Timeframe: Since 2023 to present (to include negotiations and planning) and subsequent periods.
Yours faithfully,
Patricia Brevis
From: NoReplyMinisterialServices
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Kia ora Patricia Brevis,
On behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment I
acknowledge your email of 6/10/2025 requesting, under the Official
Information Act 1982, the following:
Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request access to the following
official documents:
1. Contracts and funding agreements
All contracts, service agreements, and funding documents between the New
Zealand Government (including Immigration New Zealand, MBIE, and any other
agencies) and Asylum Seekers Support Trust (ASST) for the years 2025, 2026
and subsequent periods.
2. Specific budget documents
Budget allocations, funding proposals and approvals related to asylum
seeker support services provided by ASST from January 2025 onwards.
3. Official correspondence
All correspondence between government officials and ASST representatives
regarding contract renewals, funding extensions or new agreements for
2025-2026.
4. Evaluations and reports
Service evaluation reports, performance reviews or cost analyses related
to ASST services funded by the government for the 2025-2026 period.
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible, and no
later than 4/11/2025, 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. If you have any enquiries
regarding your request feel free to contact us via email to
[1][MBIE request email].
Nāku noa, nā
Ministerial Services
Strategy and Assurance
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
15 Stout Street, Wellington 6011 | P O Box 1473 Wellington 6140
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[MBIE request email]
From: Patricia Brevis
Dear NoReplyMinisterialServices,
I sincerely thank you for acknowledging and processing my request submitted on 6 October 2025 under the Official Information Act 1982, regarding the funding agreements between MBIE and the Asylum Seekers Support Trust (ASST).
The requested information is of particular importance in light of a recent judicial decision which expressly recognised that the accommodation at the hostel managed by ASST is partly or wholly funded by MBIE for the purpose of providing emergency housing.
In that same decision, it was also noted that the agreement was valid until 18 September 2025 and was “now renewed for a further three years”, which reinforces the need to obtain access to contracts, renewals, extensions, and budget-related documents concerning the 2025–2026 and subsequent periods.
In this context, access to funding agreements, budget allocations and approvals, official correspondence, and service evaluations would help clarify the current and future scope of the public funding granted to ASST, and how it relates to the continuation of accommodation for asylum seekers under government-funded humanitarian programmes.
Thank you very much for your attention, and I look forward to receiving the requested documents within the statutory timeframe, or any update regarding the progress of my request.
Yours sincerely,
Patricia Brevis
From: INZ OIAs
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
Kia ora Patricia,
Please see attached letter advising you of an extension of the timeframe
to respond to your request.
Kind regards,
Ethan
MINISTERIAL SERVICES
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
15 Stout Street, PO BOX 1473, Wellington 6140
------------------- Original Message -------------------
From: [1][FOI #32490 email];
Received: Mon Oct 06 2025 12:35:19 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
To: OIA <[2][MBIE request email]>;
Subject: Official Information request - Asylum Seekers Support Trust
(ASST) Funding Agreements since 2023
Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,
Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request access to the following
official documents:
1. Contracts and funding agreements
All contracts, service agreements, and funding documents between the New
Zealand Government (including Immigration New Zealand, MBIE, and any other
agencies) and Asylum Seekers Support Trust (ASST) for the years 2025, 2026
and subsequent periods.
2. Specific budget documents
Budget allocations, funding proposals and approvals related to asylum
seeker support services provided by ASST from January 2025 onwards.
3. Official correspondence
All correspondence between government officials and ASST representatives
regarding contract renewals, funding extensions or new agreements for
2025-2026.
4. Evaluations and reports
Service evaluation reports, performance reviews or cost analyses related
to ASST services funded by the government for the 2025-2026 period.
Timeframe: Since 2023 to present (to include negotiations and planning)
and subsequent periods.
Yours faithfully,
Patricia Brevis
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[3][FOI #32490 email]
Is [4][MBIE request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests
to Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment? If so, please
contact us using this form:
[5]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[6]https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlo...
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 #32490 email]
2. mailto:[MBIE request email]
3. mailto:[FOI #32490 email]
4. mailto:[MBIE request email]
5. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
6. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
hide quoted sections
From: Patricia Brevis
Tēnā koe INZ OIAs,
Thank you very much for your reply of 4 November 2025.
I would like to clarify that my request is not for an audit or a financial analysis, but simply for the documentary record of the agreements signed between the Asylum Seekers Support Trust (ASST) and MBIE, in order to understand the scope of the funding, restrictions, obligations, and other relevant information required for an ongoing legal proceeding.
There is a real risk arising from the delay in obtaining this vital information. Therefore, an extension of the timeframe until 2 December 2025 would defeat the purpose of the request.
To facilitate the processing of this matter, I am willing to narrow my request to the delivery of only the agreements signed between ASST and MBIE regarding funding. I attach here the previous agreement that covered funding up to 2025, and what I require is the renewal or extension agreement that succeeds it, covering the period up to 2028.
Funding Agreement MBIE & ASST 2023: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nHLpUNo...
Given the limited and specific nature of this request, a reasonable timeframe of two to three days should be sufficient to locate and release this single document, particularly as the previous agreement identifies Mr Andrew Lockhart as the MBIE contact responsible for coordination with ASST.
As you can see, this is not a complex request—merely a copy of the instrument confirming the government’s continued funding up to 2028, as referred to in the District Court’s findings.
Thank you for your consideration and prompt assistance.
Ngā mihi nui,
Patricia Brevis
Things to do with this request
- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence (note: this contains the same information already available above).
Offensive? Unsuitable?
Requests for personal information and vexatious requests are not considered valid requests for Official Information (read more).
If you believe this request is not suitable, you can report it for attention by the site administrators
Report this requestAct on what you've learnt
Similar requests
Privacy Act request - Refugee Resettlement Strategy 2023
To Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment by Saska Hayes
Asylum seeker country of origin and success statistics
To Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment by Vidarbh Sakshee
information on New Zealand's involvement with the Bali process
To Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment by Byron Clark
