Dear Radio New Zealand Limited,
Under the Official Information Act, I request all internal communications, editorial meeting minutes, assignment records, and decisions not to proceed with coverage relating to the topics of ship emissions and roadside drug testing between 1 January 2023 and 1 March 2026.

This includes:
– communications between editors, producers, and journalists regarding prioritisation, risk assessment, legal review, or decisions to decline or discontinue coverage
– any references to these topics in editorial meeting minutes, planning documents, or assignment logs
– any communications with external agencies (including Police, Ministry of Transport, Maritime NZ, or PR representatives) relating to these topics

This request concerns editorial process and internal documentation, not editorial judgment.

Yours faithfully,

Nigel Gray

Dear Andrew Holden,
Subject: Follow‑up OIA Request – Editorial Record‑Keeping and Search Methodology

Kia ora,

Thank you for your response of 9 March 2026.

I am submitting a follow‑up Official Information Act request to clarify RNZ’s editorial record‑keeping practices and the basis for your Section 18(e) refusal.

1. Editorial Record‑Keeping Systems
Please provide the following information for the period 1 January 2023 – 1 March 2026:

A list of all systems, platforms, or tools used by RNZ for:

internal editorial communication

assignment management

story planning

editorial meetings

pitch submissions

decisions not to proceed with coverage

For each system, please provide:

the type of records stored

retention periods

deletion policies

whether staff are required to document editorial decisions

2. Search Methodology Used for My Previous Request
For the OIA response dated 9 March 2026, please provide:

A description of the search undertaken, including:

which systems were searched

which search terms were used

which staff or teams were consulted

whether editorial meeting notes were checked

whether Teams/Slack channels were searched

whether assignment systems were reviewed

Any internal guidance, policies, or instructions used by RNZ staff when conducting OIA searches.

3. Existence of Editorial Decisions
Please confirm whether RNZ holds any of the following for the topics of ship emissions or roadside drug testing:

declined pitches

decisions not to proceed with coverage

editorial meeting notes referencing these topics

internal discussions about whether to assign or not assign coverage

If RNZ holds none of the above, please confirm:

whether RNZ has a policy requiring such decisions to be documented

whether RNZ considers it standard practice for no record to exist of declined stories or editorial decisions over a three‑year period

4. Assignment Records
Please provide:

the total number of assignments created by RNZ between 1 January 2023 and 1 March 2026

the number of assignments that resulted in published stories

the number of assignments that did not result in published stories

This will help clarify whether RNZ’s editorial processes normally generate internal records.

5. Governance and Oversight
Please provide:

any internal audits, reviews, or assessments of RNZ’s editorial record‑keeping practices conducted since 2020

any policies relating to the documentation of editorial decisions

Format
Electronic format is preferred.

Ngā mihi,
Nigel Gray

Yours sincerely,

Nigel Gray