Response to treasury concerns

Phillip Fry made this Official Information request to Ministry of Education

The request was refused by Ministry of Education.

From: Phillip Fry

Dear Ministry of Education,

Under the Official Information Act, I request copies of any records documenting the decision to proceed with the SMART (Student Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting Tool) programme after concerns were raised by Treasury during development of the business case.

This request follows recent written parliamentary questions and released Treasury material referring to those concerns.

This request includes any documents recording approval, sign-off, or agreement to continue the programme, including decision papers, briefings, emails, meeting notes, risk or mitigation documents, or updates to the business case.

For the avoidance of doubt, this request is for all recorded information held by the Ministry of Education relating to the decision to proceed, and is not limited to formal written advice.

Yours faithfully,

Phillip Fry

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From: Enquiries National
Ministry of Education

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From: Enquiries National
Ministry of Education

[UNCLASSIFIED]

Kia ora Phillip

Thank you for your request for information below. The Ministry will consider and respond to your request in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).

Under section 15(1) of the Act, we are required to make and inform you of our decision on your request as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case not later than 20 working days after the day on which your request is received. You can therefore expect to receive our decision on your request on or before the 16 of April 2026. If more than 20 working days are needed due to the potential workload and/or consultations involved in answering your request, we will notify you accordingly.

The Ministry may publicly release on our website the response to your request five days after you have received it. Any personal information will be removed.

In the interim, if you have any questions about your request, please email [email address].

Ngā mihi

Enquiries National Team | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of Education | IB
National Office, 1 The Terrace, Wellington

education.govt.nz

He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai ōna huanga
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes

-----Original Message-----
From: Phillip Fry <[FOI #34127 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 17 March 2026 9:08 pm
To: Enquiries National <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Response to treasury concerns

[You don't often get email from [FOI #34127 email]. Learn why this is important at https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

Dear Ministry of Education,

Under the Official Information Act, I request copies of any records documenting the decision to proceed with the SMART (Student Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting Tool) programme after concerns were raised by Treasury during development of the business case.

This request follows recent written parliamentary questions and released Treasury material referring to those concerns.

This request includes any documents recording approval, sign-off, or agreement to continue the programme, including decision papers, briefings, emails, meeting notes, risk or mitigation documents, or updates to the business case.

For the avoidance of doubt, this request is for all recorded information held by the Ministry of Education relating to the decision to proceed, and is not limited to formal written advice.

Yours faithfully,

Phillip Fry

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DISCLAIMER:
This email and any attachments may contain information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the email and attachments. The Ministry of Education accepts no responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after transmission from the Ministry.

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From: Enquiries National
Ministry of Education


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[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]

Kia ora Phillip

 

Please find attached our response to your Official Information Act
request.

 

Ngā mihi

 

 

Official and Parliamentary Information | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga |
Ministry of Education | KJ

1 The Terrace, Wellington

[1]education.govt.nz

 

He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ōna huanga

We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
[2][IMG]

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

DISCLAIMER:
This email and any attachments may contain information that is
confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this
email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in
error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the
email and attachments. The Ministry of Education accepts no
responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after
transmission from the Ministry.

References

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1. http://www.education.govt.nz/
2. http://www.education.govt.nz/

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