1 April 2026
Ref: DOIA-REQ-0026686-Sam Brown
Sam Brown
[FYI request #33448 email]
[email address]
Tēnā koe Sam Brown
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request that was transferred to the Ministry of
Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) from the National Infrastructure Funding and Financing Ltd
(NIFF) and Treasury.
Both these requests were acknowledged by MBIE on 28 January 2026 and separate reference numbers for
these requests were al ocated accordingly. Subsequent communications with you refined the scope of
your request and you were advised on 18 February 2026 that as the scope of these requests overlap in
relation to briefings prepared for the Minister, we decided to combine our response to both of these
requests.
The timeframe for responding to your requests were extended by 30 working days, in accordance with
section 15A of the Official Information Act 1982. That meant the new due date for the combined response
would be 1 April 2026.
I can now advise that MBIE has decided to grant your request. Due to the breadth and length of your
requests, it was not practicable to assess every possible document that might fal within its scope. Instead,
we conducted a reasonable search and identified a set of documents that we consider pertain to your
request. We wil release copies of these documents to you, as they represent information relevant to the
matters raised.
# Date
Briefing Identifier
1 23 November 2021 2122-1208 Finding strategy for rural connectivity investment
2 13 April 2022
2122-2516 Objectives and design elements of the proposed Remote Users
Scheme
3 2 June 2022
2122-4738 Remote Users Scheme design and implementation
4 27 July 2022
2223-0173 Remote Users Scheme policy mandate
5 20 December 2023 2324-1205 Telecommunications – Government Investment Options
6 11 June 2024
2324-3378 Extending the Marae Digital Connectivity Programme
7 11 July 2024
2425-0130 Briefing: Further advice on options to extend the Marae Digital
Connectivity Programme
8 26 September 2024 Briefing-Req-0003179 Confirming Decisions on utilising the Remote Users
Scheme Underspend
However, it wil take us some time to prepare this information for release. We wil send you that
information by 17 April 2026. We have also decided to refuse parts within these documents which relate
to information that may affect future government programmes under the fol owing sections of the Act:
• 9(2)(a), to protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of deceased natural persons;
• 9(2)(b)(ii), 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;
• 9(2)(g)(i), to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank expression
of opinions by or between or to Ministers of the Crown or members of an organisation or officers
and employees of any public service agency or organisation in the course of their duty;
• 9(2)(i) if the withholding of the information is necessary to enable a Minister of the Crown or any
department or organisation holding the information to carry out, without prejudice or
disadvantage, commercial activities
I do not consider that the withholding of this information is outweighed by public interest considerations
in making the information available.
We expect to be able to provide you with this information by 17 April 2026 and apologise for the further
delay and acknowledge the importance of timely decision-making under the Official Information Act.
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 investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information
about how to make a complaint is available a
t www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802
602.
Nāku noa, nā
Deb Crawford
Manager Communications Policy
Communications, Infrastructure and Trade
