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Phillip Fry
[FYI request #33319 email]
26/03/2026
Tēnā koe Phillip
OIA: GEMS-46429 – SMART Data Schema
Thank you for your email of 18 December 2025 to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry)
requesting the full data schema for the Student Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting
Tool (SMART).
In a subsequent email of 28 January 2026 you clarified your request to be
for the following information:
Copies of any data dictionary, schema documentation, or technical documentation that
is held or relied upon by the Ministry to understand, govern, or oversee the data
collected, stored, or processed within SMART.
If such documentation exists, information within that documentation describing:
•
the categories of data collected (e.g. assessment data, demographic information,
learning support or wellbeing indicators);
•
whether data fields are mandatory or optional; and
•
the use of any standardised codes or classifications (e.g. ethnicity, learning needs,
progress indicators).
If the Ministry does not hold a consolidated data dictionary or schema document for
SMART, confirmation of that fact and a brief description of how the Ministry satisfies
itself as to:
•
what data is collected by SMART; and
•
how compliance with privacy and data-minimisation obligations is overseen.
This request is limited to formal documentation relied upon by the Ministry and does not
seek live database structures, source code, or vendor internal system designs.
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
Wellington – National Office, PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140
Phone: +64 4 463 8000
education.govt.nz
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I am refusing your request under section 18(a) of the Act, that by virtue of sections
9(2)(b)(ii) and 6(c) of the Act, there is good reason to withhold the information:
• to protect information where the making available of the information would be likely
unreasonably to prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied or
who is the subject of the information, and
• as the making available of the information would be likely to prejudice the
maintenance of the law, including the prevention, investigation, and detection of
offences.
Release of the data schema would provide a detailed blueprint of how SMART operates,
creating an increased risk of unauthorised access or tampering by malicious actors.
Knowledge of internal tables, relationships, and security structures of SMART would
increase the risk of cyber intrusion, data theft, fraud or unauthorised alteration of official
records.
As required under section 9(1) of the Act, I have considered the public interest in releasing
the information withheld under section 9 of the Act. I do not consider that the public
interest considerations favouring the release of this information are sufficient to outweigh
the need to withhold it at this time.
Please note, we may publish this response on our website after five working days. Your
name and contact details will be removed.
Thank you again for your email. You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to review my
decision on your request, in accordance with section 28 of the Act. You can do this by
writing t
o [email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box
10152, Wellington 6143.
Nāku noa, nā
Pauline Cleaver
Hautū | Deputy Secretary Te Poutāhū - Curriculum Centre
education.govt.nz
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OIA: GEMS-46429
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