[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
17/11/2025
Lewis T
[FYI request #32597 email]
Tēnā koe Lewis
OIA: 1354240 – Information on refusal
Thank you for your email of 18 October 2025 to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) requesting
the following information:
All internal emails, sent or received internally that contain the reference number "1352462"
or my name, "Lewis T," of the period between 18 August 2025 and 02 September 2025,
inclusive.
All internal communications (including but not limited to emails, memos, minutes of
meetings, and messages on internal collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams) that
discuss the decision to refuse OIA request 1352462 under sections 18(f) and/or 9(2)(f)(iv)
of the Act. This part of the request is also limited to the period between 18 August 2025 and
02 September 2025, inclusive.
A copy of the specific advice or memo that was prepared to inform the final decision-maker
of the grounds for refusal for OIA request 1352462.
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
We have interpreted your request as seeking information in relation to OIA request 1352462.
Based on that interpretation, we have identified nine email chains and one attachment in scope of
your request.
I am releasing all documents, or extracts of those documents, within scope of your request as
Appendix A. Some information has been withheld under section 9(2)(a) of the Act to protect the
privacy of natural persons.
As required under section 9(1) of the Act, I have considered the public interest in releasing the
information withheld. I do not consider the public interest considerations favouring the release of
this information are sufficient to outweigh the need to protect the privacy of the individuals
concerned.
Where information not in scope of the request has been included in an email chain, I have
removed this as out of scope.
Wellington National Office, 1 The Terrace, Levels 5 to 14, Wellington 6011
PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140, DX SR51201 Phone: +64 4 463 8000
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Further detail about these documents, together with my decision as to their release, is provided in
the
Appendix A: Document Table below.
With regards to Part 3 of your request, asking for ‘
a copy of the specific advice or memo that was
prepared to inform the final decision-maker of the grounds for refusal for OIA request 1352462’, I
am refusing this part of your request under section 18(e) of the Act as the requested information
does not exist.
As you are aware, your OIA request dated 18 August 2025 was refused under section 18(f) of the
Act as the information you requested could not be made available without substantial collation and
research. As required under sections 18A and 18B of the Act, we did consider whether inviting you
to clarify, fixing a charge or extending would enable your request to be answered. However, the
Ministry is dealing with a significant volume of requests in this area, and this work and the related
requests for information fall on a small team of dedicated subject matter experts. As such, we did
not consider any of these mechanisms sufficiently mitigate the administrative burden associated
with attempting to provide a response.
For a thorough understanding of section 18(f) of the Act, I refer you to the Ombudsman’s official
information act guides and resources. The guide can be found at
ombudsman.parliament.nz/resources/substantial-collation-or-research-guide-section-18f-oia-and-
section-17f-lgoima.
As advised in our decision email on OIA 1352462 dated 2 September 2025, if you are not satisfied
with the decision we have made, the appropriate avenue for review is to contact the Office of the
Ombudsman. They are able to independently consider concerns about decisions made under the
Act. You can do this by writing to
[email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman,
PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.
Thank you again for writing.
Nāku noa, nā
Cindy McDonald
Principal Advisor
Te Pou Rangatōpū | Corporate
OIA: 1354240
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Appendix A Document Table
#
Date
Title
Decision on release
1
18 Aug 2025
Official Information request - The
Release in full
ncea project
2
19 Aug 2025
FW: Official Information request -
Release in full
The ncea project
3
19 Aug 2025
Acknowledgement - 1352462 -
Release in full
Official Information request - The
ncea project
4
25 Aug 2025
[JIRA] Angus Maxim assigned
Release in full
GEMS-43859 to you - T Lewis
(information relating to the NCEA
change project)
5
27 Aug 2025
RE: NCEA change OIAs - agreed
Release in Part. Some
actions and next steps
information withheld under
section 9(2)(a) of the Act.
6
2 Sept 2025
FW: Official Information transfer
Release in Part. Some
request - The ncea project
information withheld under
section 9(2)(a) of the Act.
7
2 Sept 2025
RE: Official Information transfer
Release in Part. Some
request - The ncea project
information withheld under
section 9(2)(a) of the Act.
7a
1352462 – Transfer to NZQA
Release in full
8
2 Sept 2025
FW: Official Information request -
Release in Part. Some
The ncea project
information withheld under
section 9(2)(a) of the Act.
9
2 Sept 2025
Response 1352462
Release in full
OIA: 1354240
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