20 April 2026
Hannah Pataka
[FYI request #34169 email]
Dear Hanna
Official Information Request
Our Ref: OIA 2026-0063
I refer to your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) received on 19 March 2026 for:
1. Guidance and standards
Please provide:
- any guidance, policies, or advisory material issued by the Commission relating to
conflicts of interest in ministerial offices
- any material addressing the management of actual, potential, or perceived conflicts
arising from personal or professional relationships within ministerial environments
2. Advice to Ministers or offices
Please provide:
- any advice, correspondence, or engagement between the Commission and: the office
of Hon Casey Costel o
- Ministerial Services
- any other relevant agency
- relating to conflict of interest management in ministerial offices during the relevant
period
3. Awareness of specific matters
Please provide any records indicating whether the Commission:
- was made aware of, or engaged on, any matter relating to:
- Jade Paul
- Travis Ancelet
- any potential or perceived conflict of interest arising from overlapping roles or
associations
- considered, assessed, or provided input on any such matter
4. Escalation and oversight
Please provide:
- any records of concerns, notifications, or issues raised with the Commission relating
to conflict of interest management in ministerial offices
- any internal discussions, assessments, or reviews undertaken in response
Level 10, Te Iho | 1 Bowen Street | PO Box 329
Wel ington 6140 | New Zealand
Phone +64 4 495 6600
5. System-level observations
Please provide:
- any reports, summaries, or internal analysis relating to:
- conflict of interest risks in ministerial offices
- management of relationships that may intersect with official duties
Information Publicly Available - Part one
The Public Service Commissioner has a system leadership role in setting expectations for how
conflicts of interest are identified, disclosed, and managed across the Public Service. The
Public Service Commission (Commission) issue
s Model Standards on conflicts of interest,
which set minimum expectations for public service departments, agencies, and employees
to support transparency and integrity. These standards cover actual, potential, and
perceived conflicts and emphasise the responsibility of individuals and chief executives to
identify and manage conflicts appropriately and are publicly available on the Commission’s
website at the link provided above.
We are therefore refusing part one of your request under section 18(d) of the OIA on the
grounds the information is publicly available.
The Commission does not manage or approve individual conflict of interest decisions within
agencies or ministerial offices. Responsibility for managing conflicts within departments sits
with each agency’s chief executive, while conflicts relating to ministerial offices are managed
through the Cabinet Office or through the Department of Internal Affairs, not the
Commission.
Information does not exist - Parts two to five
The Commission does not hold any information in regard to parts two to five of your request.
Therefore, I am refusing these parts of your request under section 18(e) of the OIA, this
information does not exist.
If you wish to discuss this decision with us, please feel free to contact
[email address]. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available
at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz
or freephone 0800 802 602.
Please note that we intend to publish this response (with your personal details removed) on
the Commission’s website.
Yours sincerely
Nicky Dirks
Manager – Ministerial and Executive Services
Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission
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