18 November 2025
Patricia Brevis
[FYI request #32490 email]
DOIA-REQ-0022160
Tēnā koe Patricia
Thank you for your email of 6 October 2025 to the Ministry of Business, Innova3on and Employment (MBIE)
reques3ng, under the Official Informa3on Act 1982 (the Act), the following informa3on:
Under the Official Informa on 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 Immigra on 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 alloca ons, 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 representa ves regarding contract
renewals, funding extensions or new agreements for 2025-2026.
4. Evalua ons and reports
Service evalua on reports, performance reviews or cost analyses related to ASST services funded
by the government for the 2025-2026 period.
On 4 November 2025, we advised you that we had decided to extend the period of 3me available to make
a decision on your request to 2 December 2025.
On 5 November 2025, you responded to our extension le;er, refining the scope of your request to funding
agreements signed between the Asylum Seekers Support Trust (ASST) and MBIE for the period of 2025–
2028:
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, restric ons, obliga ons, and other
relevant informa on required for an ongoing legal proceeding.
There is a real risk arising from the delay in obtaining this vital informa on. Therefore, an
extension of the meframe un l 2 December 2025 would defeat the purpose of the request.
To facilitate the processing of this ma;er, I am willing to narrow my request to the delivery of only
the agreements signed between ASST and MBIE regarding funding. I a;ach 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: h;ps://drive.google.com/file/d/1nHLpUNo-JdK-ahGL-
6yD5RTrr1VT68l6/view
Given the limited and specific nature of this request, a reasonable meframe of two to three days
should be sufficient to locate and release this single document, par cularly as the previous
agreement iden fies Mr Andrew Lockhart as the MBIE contact responsible for coordina on with
ASST.
As you can see, this is not a complex request—merely a copy of the instrument confirming the
government’s con nued funding up to 2028, as referred to in the District Court’s findings.
Our response
Please find a;ached the funding agreement between MBIE and the Asylum Seekers Support Trust (ASST)
for the period 2025–2028. Please note one withholding has been made under sec3on 9(2)(a) of the Act, to
protect the privacy of natural persons. I do not consider that public interest considera3ons outweigh the
need to withhold this informa3on.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, or if you require any further assistance,
please contact [email address].
You have the right to seek an inves3ga3on and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Informa3on
about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Fiona Whiteridge
General Manager Refugee and Migrant Services
Immigration New Zealand
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
