OIA Request: Security and Privacy Compliance for SMART Assessment Tool
Phillip Fry made this Official Information request to Ministry of Education
Currently waiting for a response from Ministry of Education, they must respond promptly and normally no later than (details and exceptions).
From: Phillip Fry
Dear Ministry of Education,
Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following technical and compliance documentation regarding the SMART tool (Janison Solution):
A copy of the Security Certification and Accreditation (C&A) report for the final solution.
The Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA), with particular reference to the data sovereignty risks and the "written authorisation" loophole in Clause 16.3(d) of the ICT Services Agreement.
All correspondence between the Ministry and the GCSB (National Cyber Security Centre) regarding the storage of student backups in Australia and the tool's compliance with NZISM standards for "IN-CONFIDENCE" data.
Please note that this request is highly time-sensitive. Given the planned rollout for early 2026, it is imperative that these safety standards are verified and transparent to the public before student data is processed.
Yours faithfully,
Phillip Fry
From: Enquiries National
Ministry of Education
Thank you for your email to the Ministry of Education.
This is an auto generated response confirming your email has been received.
Please do not respond to this message.
We will respond to your email as soon as possible.
Tēnā koe mō tō īmēra mai ki te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga.
He urupare aunoa tēnei hei whakaatu kua tae mai tō īmēra
ki a mātou. Kaua noa e whakautu i tēnei karere.
Mea ake nei ka urupare tonu atu mātou ki tō īmēra.
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From: Enquiries National
Ministry of Education
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
Kia ora Phillip,
Thank you for the information request below. The Ministry will consider
and respond to your request in accordance with the Official Information
Act 1982 (the Act).
Under section 15(1) of the Act, we are required to make and inform you of
our decision on your request as soon as reasonably practicable and in any
case not later than 20 working days after the day on which your request is
received. You can therefore expect to receive our decision on your
request on or before 11 February 2026. If more than 20 working days are
needed due to the potential workload and/or consultations involved in
answering your request, we will notify you accordingly.
Please note, the days between 25 December – 15 January (inclusive) are not
considered to be “working days” for the purposes of calculating the 20
working day timeframe for providing a response under the Act.
In the interim, if you have any questions about your request, please email
[1][email address].
Ngâ mihi,
Enquiries National Team | Te Tâhuhu o te Mâtauranga | Ministry of
Education | JH
[2]education.govt.nz
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
He mea târai e mâtou te mâtauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ôna huanga
[3]Te TD huhu o te MD tauranga
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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).

