IN-CONFIDENCE
20 March 2026
James
[FYI request #33573 email]
[email address]
Tēnā koe James
Official Information Act (OIA) request: Supermarket vouchers and unanswered
communications
On 21 January 2026
, you contacted Stats NZ via
https://fyi.org.nz/ requesting, under the
Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), the fol owing information:
•
Please provide the total number and value of supermarket vouchers issued
under the Census drive. Please provide the supermarket brands these
vouchers were linked to e.g. New World, Pak' nSave etc.
Please provide the total number and value of supermarket vouchers issued to
the Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency. Have al the vouchers been
redeemed? If not, how many remain outstanding? Were vouchers used to
purchase lower value meat packs, which were given out instead of vouchers,
so some vouchers could be held back?
Please provide the total number and value of supermarket vouchers issued to
the Manukau Urban Māori Authority, if any.
What were the terms and conditions issued with the vouchers - could unused
vouchers be used by agencies/organistions?
What systems did Stats NZ have to make sure all vouchers were used
correctly and went to those who participated in the census? Please provide al
the checks and balances that were in place.
Recently the Manukau Urban Māori Authority revealed they were sitting on
thousands of unused Pak' nSave vouchers which they were considering
distributing to staff in order to boost staff morale. MUMA also considered
providing easter egg packages for staff and their whanau using the Pak'
nSave vouchers. Are these vouchers from any activity linked to Stats NZ
either directly or indirectly?
I also acknowledge your subsequent follow up emails of 24 February 2026, 26 February
2026, and 3 March 2026 via the FYI website, and your email request of 10 March 2026
for the fol owing information:
[email address]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
8 Willis Street, Wellington
PO Box 2922, Wellington 6140
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•
Under the OIA please provide al communications relating to the fol owing
request made on the 21st of January, three subsequent follow up messages
sent on the 24th of February, 26th of February and 3rd of March and a direct
message sent via the Platform X on the 5th of March.......al regarding the
same OIA request which has failed to be acknowledged by Stats NZ.
I apologise for the delay in responding to your original request of 21 January 2026. On
receiving your email of 13 March 2026, a search of our inbox discovered that your
previous emails were filtered to an inbox that was not monitored.
As your messages went unnoticed until 13 March 2026, I can confirm that there are no
communications that exist in relation to your initial request, your follow up messages, or
your direct message through the platform X. As such, your request for this information is
refused under section 18(e) of the Act as this information does not exist or, despite
reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
In respect of your initial request, majority of information in scope is publicly available as
part of the
Misuse of data report and remediation plan, and th
e proactive release of
materials associated with the investigation. For clarity and especial y given the delay in
responding to your initial request, answers to each of the questions are provided below.
Please provide the total number and value of supermarket vouchers issued under
the Census drive. Please provide the supermarket brands these vouchers were
linked to e.g. New World, Pak' nSave etc.
The relevant section of the contract between Stats NZ and Te Pou Matakana Limited
trading as Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency (WOCA) noted the fol owing:
Whānau contribution
Part of the Whānau Ora operational model wil include whānau contribution to
encourage and support whānau to participate in Census. The programme could
include the use of grocery vouchers.
It is anticipated that up to $1 mil ion dollars may be invested in this aspect of the
programme.
Te Whānau o Waipareira wil be accountable for al processes around the
implementation of the eligibility criteria for receiving vouchers and the secure
tracking and auditable-record keeping in relation to koha and vouchers.
Vouchers were not directly purchased or issued by Stats NZ. It was anticipated that $1
mil ion of the total contract value would be used to purchase grocery vouchers. WOCA
subsequently confirmed the purchase of $1 mil ion worth of Pak n Save vouchers, based
[email address]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
8 Willis Street, Wellington
PO Box 2922, Wellington 6140
IN-CONFIDENCE
IN-CONFIDENCE
on a $100 voucher per household visited. On this basis, 10,000 vouchers in total were
purchased.
Please provide the total number and value of supermarket vouchers issued to the
Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency. Have all the vouchers been redeemed? If not,
how many remain outstanding? Were vouchers used to purchase lower value meat
packs, which were given out instead of vouchers, so some vouchers could be held
back?
Stats NZ does not hold any information on whether al vouchers were redeemed, or about
the use of the vouchers in the manner described, following their purchase by WOCA. As
such, your request for this information is refused under section 18(e) of the Act as this
information does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
Stats NZ received confirmation through its final reporting that the number of households
visited as part of the WOCA initiative exceeded 10,000 – accounting for the distribution of
al vouchers purchased.
Please provide the total number and value of supermarket vouchers issued to the
Manukau Urban Māori Authority, if any.
Manukau Urban Māori Authority were al ocated $180,000 in vouchers by WOCA – being
1,800 vouchers at $100 value.
What were the terms and conditions issued with the vouchers - could unused
vouchers be used by agencies/organistions?
Stats NZ did not issue the vouchers to WOCA, or the subcontractors such as Manukau
Urban Māori Authority under the agreement. As such, no terms and conditions were
issued with the vouchers.
Your request for this information is therefore refused under section 18(e) of the Act as
this information does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
Note that the contract with WOCA sought the outcome of 50,000 completed individual
census forms, through visiting approximately 10,000 dwel ings. Stats NZ was provided
with regular reporting on contract service delivery, which included reporting on voucher
provision.
What systems did Stats NZ have to make sure all vouchers were used correctly and
went to those who participated in the census? Please provide all the checks and
balances that were in place.
As mentioned above, the contract for services noted that WOCA would be accountable
for al processes related to implementing the eligibility criteria for receiving vouchers and
auditable record-keeping about vouchers. As such, your request for this information is
[email address]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
8 Willis Street, Wellington
PO Box 2922, Wellington 6140
IN-CONFIDENCE
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refused under section 18(e) of the Act as this information does not exist or, despite
reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
Regular reporting was in place to track contract service delivery. However, we
acknowledge that the
Independent Investigation and Assurance Review of Al egations of
Misuse of 2023 Census Information made findings in relation to the monitoring
mechanisms established to ensure compliance with the contract. Accordingly, the
management of this contract was a key focus of our Misuse of 2023 Census Data
Remediation Programme. As a result of that we have done further work on our policies
and expectations around the use of incentives. More broadly, work to implement a robust
risk assessment, monitoring, assurance and audit programme for al contracts was
completed as part of the remediation programme.
Recently the Manukau Urban Māori Authority revealed they were sitting on
thousands of unused Pak' nSave vouchers which they were considering
distributing to staff in order to boost staff morale. MUMA also considered providing
easter egg packages for staff and their whanau using the Pak' nSave vouchers. Are
these vouchers from any activity linked to Stats NZ either directly or indirectly?
Given the terms of the contract, Stats NZ is unable to answer this question. Your request
for this information is refused under section 18(e) of the Act as this information does not
exist or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found.
If you are not satisfied with this response, you have the right to seek an investigation and
review by the Ombudsman. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or 0800 802 602.
It is Stats NZ’s policy to proactively release its responses to official information requests
where possible. This letter, with your personal details removed, wil be published on the
Stats NZ website. Publishing responses creates greater openness and transparency of
government decision-making and helps better inform public understanding of the reasons
for decisions.
Nāku noa, nā
Fau Logo
Senior Manager, Executive & Government Relations
Office of the Chief Executive
Stats NZ
[email address]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
8 Willis Street, Wellington
PO Box 2922, Wellington 6140
IN-CONFIDENCE
