10 March 2026
26-OIAD-00302
John Luke
[FYI request #33644 email]
Tēnā koe John Luke
Thank you for your email of 10 February 2026 requesting the following under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act) of the Ministry for the Environment (the Ministry):
I noted, you have recently made Reappointment / Appointments to the Waste
Advisory Board https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2026-
go440__;!!Asq5-
8xVch3Reg!uCKv0I3wybYGRyLPz57UEvmF68Symggjpffztlk4U5D0QDaZG3C4RlUP
YzJyEcUSadRfIU2pAooZZVSKouw09hb7hCsTohrrmmIHcY91LFt_PQ$
May I ask how you called for public nomination and on what platform you have call
for public nominations e.g. govt.jobs website.
A copy of your ad and pay rate for the role as wel .
Also, how many applications you have received for each of the role from the public
and how many you have received from other nominating agencies such as TPK or
Ministry of women etc for your role.
How many you have shortlisted and how many you have interviewed.
Also, can I request to view the appointment letter if there is one sent to the
appointee. I am happy for you to remove all the personal information.
1.
How you called for public nomination and on what platform you have called for public
nominations e.g. govt.jobs website.
As required under section 93(2) of the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 (WMA) the Minister for
the Environment must cal for nominations and allow one month to receive nominations by
giving public notice:
• in the
Gazette
• in daily newspapers circulating in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and
Dunedin
• on the Ministry’s website.
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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In addition to these legislative requirements, the Ministry also advertises on the Government
Jobs website
(Home | NZ Government Jobs) and through LinkedIn posts which include links
to websites where people can apply.
The above process was followed for this appointment round.
2.
A copy of your ad and pay rate for the role as well.
I have released to you in full a copy of the advertisement material as per the attached
document schedule.
The rate for the Board membership advertised is $535 per day. This is in alignment with the
Cabinet Fees Framework for members appointed to bodies in which the Crown has an
interest released on 28 July 2025.
3. How many applications you have received for each of the role from the public and
how many you have received from other nominating agencies such as TPK or
Ministry of women etc for your role
The Ministry received 24 nominations, with no nominations from any public service agencies
such as Te Puni Kōkiri or Ministry for Women.
4. How many you have shortlisted and how many you have interviewed.
Nine were shortlisted and three were interviewed.
5. Can I request to view the appointment letter if there is one sent to the appointee. I
am happy for you to remove all the personal information.
The recent round of Board appointments resulted in two new Board member appointments
and one reappointment of a Board member. I have partially released two appointment letters
and one reappointment letter to you with personal information removed under section 9(2)(a)
of the Act to protect the privacy of natural persons, as per the attached document schedule.
Please note that while the letters are dated 2 January 2026 this was a misprint, the letters
were sent on 2 February 2026 as noted in the document schedule.
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 at:
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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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
Monique Esplin
Manager, Waste Policy Priorities
Ministry for the Environment | Manatū Mō Te Taiao
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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Document schedule
#
Date
Title
Decision
Grounds
1. 29 May 2025
Advertisement wording: Call for Waste Advisory Board Nominations
Released in full
N/A
2. 2 February 2026
Letter: Appointment to Waste Advisory Board – Chris Grant
Partially released
9(2)(a)
3. 2 February 2026
Letter: Appointment to Waste Advisory Board – Barney Irvine
Partially released
9(2)(a)
4. 2 February 2026
Letter: Appointment to Waste Advisory Board – David Howie
Partially released
9(2)(a)
PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143 | Freephone 0800 499 700 | environment.govt.nz
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