OC260135

13 March 2026

John Luke
[FYI request #33873 email]

Tēnā koe John,

I refer to your email dated 26 February 2026, requesting the following under the Of icial Information
Act 1982 (the Act):

“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 as well. 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. How many
vacancies are you looking to fil  for this round.”

I have responded to each part of your request in the table attached as Annex 1. This appointment
process remains underway and, in order to protect the confidentiality of that process until it
concludes, responses to a number of your questions are withheld in full under section 9(2)(f)(iv) of
the Act to maintain the constitutional conventions for the time being which protect the
confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers of the Crown and officials.
There is no appointment letter as an appointment has not been made. Therefore, I am refusing this
part of your request under section 18(e) of the Act – that the document alleged to contain the
information requested does not exist.
With regard to the information that has been withheld under section 9 of the Act, I am satisfied that
the reasons for withholding the information at this time are not outweighed by public interest
considerations that would make it desirable to make the information available.
If you would like to discuss this decision with us, please do not hesitate to contact us at
[MOT request email].
You have the right to seek an investigation and review of this response by the Ombudsman, in
accordance with section 28(3) of the Act. The relevant details can be found on the Ombudsman’s
website www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.

transport.govt.nz | hei-arataki.nz
HEAD OFFICE: PO Box 3175, Wellington 6140, New Zealand. PH: +64 4 439 9000
AUCKLAND OFFICE: NZ Government Auckland Policy Office, PO Box 106483, Auckland 1143, New Zealand. PH: +64 4 439 9000

The Ministry publishes our Of icial Information Act responses and the information contained in our
reply to you may be published on the Ministry’s website. Before publishing we wil remove any
personal or identifiable information.
Nāku noa, nā

Liz Anderson
Manager, Crown Entity Monitoring

Annex 1:
Question / Request for Information
Response
On behalf of the Associate Minister of Transport, the
Ministry issued a cal  for nominations through the
following actions:
•  Public advertisement through the Treasury’s Board
Appointments database, the Ministry of Transport’s
May I ask how you called for public nomination and on
LinkedIn page and the New Zealand Law Society.
what platform you have cal  for public nominations e.g.
govt.jobs website.
•  A request for nominations from the Ministry for
Women, Te Puni Kokiri, Ministry for Ethnic
Communities, Ministry for Pacific Peoples and
Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People.
The Associate Minister also sought nominations from his
caucus col eagues, New Zealand First and the Act Party.
Released in ful .
A copy of the position description is attached to this
response as document 1. Commissioner remuneration is
A copy of your ad and pay rate as wel .
determined annual y by the Remuneration Authority.
The rate for Commissioners for the 2025/26 financial year
is $1,240 per day, with part days (of less than six hours)
being pro-rated on the basis of an eight-hour day.
Remuneration is not to exceed $297,648 a year.
Also, how many applications you have received for each
of the role from the public and how many you have
This is withheld under section 9(2)(f)(iv) due to the active
received from other nominating agencies such as TPK or  appointment process underway.
Ministry of women etc for your role.
How many you have shortlisted and how many you have
This is withheld under section 9(2)(f)(iv) due to the active
interviewed.
appointment process underway.
Also, can I request to view the appointment letter if there
is one sent to the appointee. I am happy for you to
This is refused under section 18(e). There is no letter as
remove al  the personal information.
an appointment is yet to be made.
How many vacancies are you looking to fil  for this round.  The advertisement is for one vacancy.

Document 1
Position Description
Transport Accident Investigation Commission
On behalf of the Responsible Minister of Transport, the Ministry of Transport is searching for candidates to
serve as Commissioners on the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (the Commission).
The Commission is an Independent Crown Entity under the Crown Entities Act 2004 with responsibility for
conducting independent inquiries into certain air, rail and maritime transport accidents and incidents
under the Transport Accident Investigation Commission Act 1990. It is governed by three to five
Commissioners appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the responsible Minister.
1982
Competencies sought
The Commission requires a full range of competencies across all Commissioners to be effective. To be
THE
considered, candidates must possess competencies which complement those of existing commissioners.
ACT
In addition, section 30(2) of the Crown Entities Act 2004 sets out the criteria for disqualification from
membership of a Crown entity board. Commissioners are also unable to serve on the boards of the Civil
Aviation Authority or Maritime New Zealand and ideally will not be a member of the New Zealand
Transport Agency while holding office.
UNDER
Priority Competencies
For this appointment round, the Minister is seeking candidates with deep legal expertise. The successful
candidate will be an experienced barrister or solicitor, who has held a practising certificate for over seven
years, or is a District Court Judge.
Collective Competencies
All Commissioners should be experienced in exercising judgement and critical thinking, preferably within a
INFORMATION
regulatory environment. Commissioners should also collectively possess the following competencies:
RELEASED
• governance and strategy
• regulatory oversight and understanding of regulatory functions and powers
• financial management
• audit, risk and assurance oversight
• investigation or inquiry experience, assessing and testing evidence and reaching constructive findings.
OFFICIAL
• transport sector understanding or experience within road, rail, maritime or air transport sectors
• public sector operating requirements across central and/or local government
• stakeholder engagement
• understanding of te Tiriti and te ao Māori

The Commission as a Crown Entity
The Commission was established under the Transport Accident Investigation Commission Act 1990 (the
Act). Section 13 allows the Commission to open an inquiry as soon as practicable after being notified of an
accident or incident, if it “believes that the circumstances of the accident or incident has, or are likely to
have, significant implications for transport safety, or may allow the Commission to establish findings or
make recommendations which may increase transport safety.”
The Act also allows the Minister of Transport to direct the Commission to open an inquiry under certain
circumstances. The Commission determines how it conducts its inquiries and is independent in its
deliberations and has specific powers regarding entry and investigation, evidence handling and disclosure.
Other key legislative influences on the Commission include the Commissions of Inquiry Act 1908; Civil
Aviation Act 2023; Maritime Transport Act 1994; Railways Act 2005; and the Coroners Act 2006. There are
also several international conventions that influence the Commission’s functioning as an independent
accident investigation organisation.
Further information about the Commission is available at https://www.taic.org.nz/about.
1982
Background to the Role
The Commission has the following responsibilities as set out in the Act:
ACT
• to make inquiries it considers appropriate to ascertain the cause/s of accidents and incidents
• to co-ordinate and direct investigations and determine which other parties (if any) should be involved
• to prepare and publish findings and recommendations (if any)
• if requested by the Minister, to deliver a written report on each investigation to the Minister, including
any recommendations for changes and improvements that it considers will ensure the avoidance of
accidents and incidents in the future
• to co-operate and co-ordinate with other accident investigation organisations overseas, including
taking evidence on their behalf
• where a notification under section 50 of the Civil Aviation Act 2023; section 13(4) of the Railways Act
2005; or section 60 of the Maritime Transport Act 1994 has not been received, to request from the
INFORMATION
respective Authority further appropriate information regarding any accident that the Commission
believes is required to be investigated under section 13(1) or section 13(2) of the Act
RELEASED UNDER THE
The Crown Entities Act 2004 provides a framework for Crown entity governance and accountability,
including responsibilities of board members, disclosure of interests, and the roles of Ministers. It is
available at http://www.legislation.govt.nz.
Board members are subject to the col ective and individual duties of members set out in sections 58 and 59
of the Crown Entities Act. Col ective duties are to ensure the Board’s functions are performed efficiently,
OFFICIAL
effectively and consistently in the spirit of the public service, and in a financially responsible manner.
Further information on how the relationships between Crown entities, Ministers, and departments work in
practice can be found on the Public Service Commission’s website
Board members are also expected to comply with the Code of Conduct for Crown Entity Board Members,
issued by the Public Service Commissioner under section 17(3) of the Public Service Act 2020.
Page 2 of 3

Time Commitment and Remuneration
Commissioners are appointed for a term of up to five years. Meetings are held monthly and are scheduled
across two days. On average, three quarters of Commissioner meetings focus on considering evidence
gathered by investigators, advice from experts, the submissions of consulted people and organisations, and
private or public hearings with a view to issuing Commission reports. The remaining quarter focuses on
Board matters and governance of the organisation that services the Commissioners. Commissioners are
expected to work approximately four days per month.
Commissioner fees are set by the Remuneration Authority.
Appointment Process
The process for appointing to a Crown entity board can take up to four months after the closure of
applications. For an appointment to the Commission, it consists of the following stages:
•  Shortlisting of applications/nominations:
1982
•  Interviews
•  Due diligence and reference checks covering public profile, credit, qualification, and criminal checks.
THE
•  Recommendation to the Minister:
ACT
•  Consultation with Ministerial colleagues
•  Consideration by the Cabinet Appointments and Honours (APH) Committee and Cabinet.
•  Appointment by the Governor-General.
UNDER
Further information regarding the appointments process can be found on our website.
Expressions of Interest
To apply for this position, please apply through the Treasury database:
https://www.boardappointments.co.nz/Vacancies and include a copy of your full Curriculum Vitae by 9:00
am on Monday 23 February 2026.
If you require further information, please email [email address]
INFORMATION
Privacy Disclaimer
RELEASED
The Ministry of Transport will collect and hold information about you as part of the appointments process.
Applicants applying through the Treasury database have agreed to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy
policy of that database as part of their registration.
Should you be appointed, the terms of your appointment wil  be recorded on both the Treasury
appointments database as well as on AppointNet, which is a centralised reporting database administered
OFFICIAL
by the Public Service Commission.
You can find more information at the following links:
•  Board Appointments Database Terms and Conditions
•  Board Appointments Database Privacy Policy
•  The protocol and privacy disclaimer for AppointNet
•  The Ministry of Transport’s Privacy and Transparency statement

Page 3 of 3

Document Outline