16 February 2026
OIAD-1847
Phoebe Robertson
[FYI request #33016 email] Tēnā koe Phoebe
Thank you for your email of 27 November 2025 under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act) of the Ministry for the Environment (the Ministry). Your full request is copied below as
Appendix 2.
I have responded to each part of your request below:
A. Appointment Process & Decision-Making Documents
Recruitment approach
The Ministry runs its selection processes in line with its obligations under the Public Service
Act 2020.
Each role is advertised as appropriate; for all three roles referenced in your request, the
Ministry ran both an internal and external recruitment process. As standard, a thorough
selection process was undertaken for each role.
When recruiting, the relevant hiring manager will establish a panel of up to three members.
An interview template will be developed, and one to two rounds of interviews are
undertaken. The Ministry used a third-party, independent process for reference checks with
standardised questions given to both the candidate and referee.
In line with the Public Service Act 2020, employees are notified of appointments and a
review process is in place.
In response to this part of your request, I am providing to you, in full:
• Copies of the templated interview guides used in the selection process for each role
• Details of the panel members for each selection process.
• A copy of the Ministry’s Recruitment Policy
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I am withholding the following information in scope of this part of your request under section
9(2)(a) of the Act, to protect the privacy of natural persons:
• shortlisting or selection records
• completed interview records
• panel notes or assessment worksheets
• completed assessment matrices/competency scoring.
• Completed reference checks.
• appointment recommendation papers
• approval documents (e.g., CE, DCE or PSC sign-off).
• Any briefings, emails, memoranda, recommendations, or advice prepared for the CE,
DCE, HR GM or others regarding the appointment decision.
I am refusing your request for psychometric testing and PSC engagement under section
18(e) of the Act, as the documents requested does not exist.
B. Risk Assessments & Conflict of Interest Checks
The Ministry requires candidates to declare any conflict of interest prior to being employed.
Employees are asked annually to reassess if they have any conflicts to declare.
Any declared conflicts must be managed appropriately with the employee’s leader. I can
confirm two of the successful applicants to the roles referenced in your request declared
conflicts of interest, which were recorded and managed.
For all three roles referenced, the Ministry did not identify any “red flags” or risk factors that
materially affected the selection decisions during the selection process.
I am withholding all documents in scope of this part of your request under section 9(2)(a) of
the Act, to protect the privacy of natural persons.
C. Training, Accreditation & Leadership Capability Framework
The Ministry does not have a formalised Leadership Capability Framework, though
development of a framework is currently underway.
Capability expectations for each role are outlined in the position descriptions provided to
you. Interview questions are aligned to these expectations and are intended to test
leadership experience and capability, with panel assessments providing a balanced view of
how these capabilities have been demonstrated.
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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There is a leader-led onboarding process for all new employees, referenced on our
onboarding page:
The Ministry does not have an embedded leadership development programme, however, in
addition to assessing leadership capability through interview processes for those entering
the organisation, we frequently deliver leadership training across a variety of topics,
responding to the current context in the organisation. Over the last 24 months, topics have
included:
• Leading through change
• Mental Health for Leaders
• Managing for Performance
• Leadership mindsets.
I am withholding the following information in scope of this part of your request under section
9(2)(a) of the Act, to protect the privacy of natural persons:
• unmet training requirements
• leadership development needs identified
• risk mitigation actions recommended prior to appointment
D. Complaints, Concerns and Escalation History (Role-Related)
I am withholding all information in scope of this part of your request under section 9(2)(a) of
the Act, to protect the privacy of natural persons.
E. HSWA Compliance Documentation (Leadership Appointments)
The Ministry runs a robust selection process, as noted above. As part of the selection
process, employment checks are completed for appropriate roles, for example, reference
checks, serious misconduct check, criminal records check and security checks.
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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The Ministry does not hold the following information regarding leadership appointment
processes:
• risk flagged in Tūmatakōkiri
• monitoring of leadership safety performance
• interventions or controls put in place.
I am therefore refusing this part of your request under section 18(e) of the Act, as the
documents do not exist.
Note that monitoring of leadership safety performance is managed through regular health
and safety reporting and is not tested separately.
F. Acting or Temporary Appointments
The Ministry does have the need for acting or temporary arrangements from time to time.
This is covered in our Collective Employment Agreement, Individual Employment
Agreements, and on our intranet pages.
When an employee is ‘acting’ in a more senior position, managers will discuss with the team
how the duties of the employees’ substantive role will be backfilled or reassigned within the
team or paused. This is in accordance with clause 26.3 of the Ministry’s CEA.
In each acting arrangement, the appropriate delegations will be agreed. For temporary roles,
the Ministry had in its policy, at the time, an ability to appoint without running a recruitment
process for all acting arrangement under six months.
I am withholding the following information, in regard to the roles referenced in your request,
under section 9(2)(a) of the Act, to protect the privacy of natural persons:
• Appointment memos.
• Delegation of authority
• Duties assigned
• Risk assessments.
Note that I am refusing your request for copies of appointment memos and/or delegations of
authority under section 18(e) of the Act, as these documents do not exist.
G. Limitations of Records
At the conclusion of the review period, and once staff members have started the role, the
Ministry’s recruitment policy advises hiring managers to delete interview notes and other
records, as they are no longer required:
“Evaluative material, such as interview notes can be destroyed after the candidate
has started in the role. Only information relevant to consideration of role suitability
and compliance should be requested from applicants and nominated referees. The
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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Ministry must comply with any legal requirements relating to the release of
information about a process or outcome.”
General Disposal Authority 6 provides guidance to Government agencies on the
management and destruction of material held. Please refer to the excerpt below:
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 a
t: www.ombudsman.parliament.nz. Please note that due to the public interest in our work, the Ministry publishes responses to
requests for official information shortly after the response has been sent on our website at:
https://environment.govt.nz/about-us/official-information-act-requests/. If you have any
queries about this, please feel free to contact our Ministerial Services team at:
[email address]. Nāku noa, nā
Juliet Macdonald
General Manager – People and Capability
Ministry for the Environment | Manatū Mō Te Taiao
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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Appendix 1: Document schedule
#
Title
Decision
1 Recruitment Policy
Release in full
2 GM People and Capability Position
Release in full
Description
3 GM Tūmatakōkiri- Maori Strategy and
Release in full
Planning Position Description
4 Dep Sec Tūmatakōkiri Position
Release in full
Description
5 GM People and Capability Interview
Release in full
Guide
6 GM Tūmatakōkiri- Māori Strategy and
Release in full
Planning Interview Guide
7 Dep Sec Tūmatakōkiri Interview Guide
Release in full
8 Interview Panel details for three roles
Release in full
9 General Disposal Authority
Release in full
10 Onboarding training
Release as excerpt
11 Reference Check Template
Release as excerpt
12 ‘Acting up’ intranet page
Release as excerpt
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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Appendix 2: Full request
I am requesting information relating to the appointment, vetting, risk assessment, and
capability evaluation processes for the following current senior roles within Tūmatakōkiri and
People & Capability:
• General Manager – Tūmatakōkiri (Hakarangi Tichborne)
• Deputy Secretary – Tūmatakōkiri (Gina Rangi)
• General Manager – People & Capability / HR (Tracey Kaio)
For each appointment (internal or external), please provide:
A. Appointment Process & Decision-Making Documents
The full appointment process documentation, including:
• recruitment approach (internal, external, closed, open, direct appointment, acting)
• shortlisting or selection records
• interview records
• panel membership
• panel notes or assessment worksheets
• assessment matrices or competency scoring
• due diligence undertaken
• referee checks
• psychometric testing (if any)
• appointment recommendation papers
• approval documents (e.g., CE, DCE or PSC sign-off)
Any briefings, emails, memoranda, recommendations, or advice prepared for the CE, DCE,
HR GM or others regarding the appointment decision.
Any PSC engagement where senior leadership roles required consultation or advice under
the Public Service Act.
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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B. Risk Assessments & Conflict of Interest Checks
For each appointment:
• Any risk assessments, including:
• safety/leadership capability risks
• psychosocial risk implications
• previous conduct issues
• conflict-of-interest declarations
• integrity checks
• any red flags raised at the time of appointment
• analysis of suitability for people-leadership responsibility
• Any documentation relating to:
• prior allegations, complaints, or performance concerns
• prior involvement in incidents relating to conduct or safety
• how these were considered or mitigated in the appointment process
C. Training, Accreditation & Leadership Capability Framework
• The leadership capability and competency requirements for each role.
• Evidence of whether these were assessed.
• Training or accreditation required or completed (e.g.,:
• people-leadership training
• conflict management
• bullying/harassment frameworks
• HSWA duties and psychosocial risk training
• PSC model standards training)
• Any documentation showing:
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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• unmet training requirements
• leadership development needs identified
• risk mitigation actions recommended prior to appointment
D. Complaints, Concerns and Escalation History (Role-Related)
For each role:
• Records of any complaints, concerns, allegations, or speaking-up matters raised
before or during their tenure relating to:
• bullying
• harassment
• discrimination
• retaliation
• procedural unfairness
• unsafe leadership behaviour
• integrity concerns
• failures to follow HR, PSC or HSWA standards
• How these concerns were:
• triaged
• recorded
• escalated
• investigated
• resolved
• Whether any concerns led to:
• changes in duties
• performance processes
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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• disciplinary processes
• restructuring or reassignment
• risk mitigation actions
If any complaints or concerns were raised verbally, please provide any notes, emails,
summaries, or managerial records relating to these.
E. HSWA Compliance Documentation (Leadership Appointments)
Any documentation assessing the HSWA s36 duty when appointing people leaders,
specifically relating to:
• psychosocial risk
• foreseeable harm
• suitability of managers to manage people
• safety controls
• post-appointment monitoring of risk
• Any health & safety hazard registers that include:
• leadership risk
• people-leadership behaviours
• complaints relating to harm
• Any documentation showing:
• risk flagged in Tūmatakōkiri
• monitoring of leadership safety performance
• interventions or controls put in place
• F. Acting or Temporary Appointments
• For any interim or acting leadership arrangements:
• Appointment memos
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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• Delegation of authority
• Duties assigned
• Risk assessments
• Rationale for bypassing open recruitment (if applicable)
G. Limitations of Records
If any information requested does not exist, please confirm:
• Why the Ministry does not hold it
• Whether it was ever created
• Whether it was destroyed
• Whether it falls under the Ministry’s record-keeping obligations
• How senior appointments can be made without the requested documentation
• If any of the requested documents are already publicly available, please provide
direct links to the exact documents or pages.
Urgent public interest considerations
I request, under section 12(3) of the Official Information Act, that this request be treated as
urgent, for the reasons set out below.
This information should be treated as time-sensitive due to significant and ongoing public
interest in:
• the integrity and transparency of senior public service appointments, • leadership capability
and suitability, • the robustness of vetting, due diligence, and conflict-of-interest processes, •
compliance with PSC model standards, and • how public agencies identify, assess, and
manage leadership-related risks, including psychosocial risks under the Health and Safety at
Work Act.
Recent national attention on public sector culture, governance, and staff safety has
intensified scrutiny of:
• how leadership appointments are made,
• whether due diligence was sufficient,
• whether issues were known at appointment, • whether complaints or concerns about
leaders are appropriately handled, and • how agencies ensure safe and lawful people-
leadership practices.
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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These matters relate directly to:
public trust and confidence in the public service the safe operation of public institutions the
protection of staff and the public the proper use of public funds the accountability of senior
leaders
Information about senior appointments and risk controls is essential for public understanding
of whether:
• leadership decisions are being made responsibly, • governance risks are appropriately
managed, and • statutory duties under the Public Service Act, HSWA, and PSC standards
are being properly discharged.
Given the elevated national conversation about leadership, safety, governance failures, and
public sector integrity, timely transparency is in the public interest.
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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