Ministerial Services, New Zealand Defence Force, Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand

I request the following information under the Official Information Act 1982.

This request relates to the governance, advice, and oversight framework for the New Zealand veterans’ support system, including the operation of Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand (VANZ) and the Veterans’ Advisory Board (VAB) under the Veterans’ Support Act 2014.

1. Existence of Governance and Advice Tracking Systems

Please confirm whether the following records, systems, or datasets exist:

a) Any central register, log, database, or tracking system used to record:
- advice provided by the Veterans’ Advisory Board (VAB) to the Minister;
- advice provided by Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand (VANZ) to the Minister;
- recommendations arising from advisory panels (including the Veterans’ Health Advisory Panel).

b) Any system used to track:
- Ministerial decisions in response to that advice;
- implementation status of recommendations (e.g. accepted / declined / in progress / completed);
- timeframes or milestones associated with implementation.

c) Any programme, framework, or formal mechanism used to monitor:
- system performance across the veterans’ support system;
- cross-agency coordination (e.g. VANZ, ACC, Health NZ, MSD);
- recurring or systemic issues affecting veterans.

2. Governance Documentation (If Held)

If any of the above systems or records exist, please provide:

a) Copies of:
- governance frameworks, operational guidelines, or policy documents describing these systems;
- terms of reference or reporting requirements for tracking or monitoring advice and implementation.

b) Any templates, data schemas, or reporting formats used (e.g. dashboards, registers, status reports).

3. Advice Records and Outputs (High-Level)

If held, please provide:

a) A list or index (no personal information required) of:
- advice, reports, or formal recommendations provided by the VAB to the Minister from 1 January 2020 to present;
- advice provided by VANZ to the Minister within the same period relating to system performance or policy changes.

b) Any summary reports, briefings, or internal reviews that:
- assess whether advice or recommendations were implemented;
- identify gaps, delays, or non-implementation.

4. Absence of Records (Critical Clarification)

If any of the information requested above does not exist, please:

- explicitly confirm that no such record, system, or dataset is held;
- specify whether this is because:
- the information has never been created;
- it is not required to be created; or
- it is held in an unstructured or non-retrievable form.

5. Record-Keeping and Disposal Framework

Please provide:

a) The applicable record-keeping policies and disposal authorities governing:
- VAB advice and outputs;
- VANZ ministerial briefings and advice;
- governance and oversight records.

b) Any guidance on:
- retention periods;
- requirements to maintain audit trails of advice and implementation.

6. Form of Release

I am primarily seeking confirmation of existence and structure, rather than large volumes of content.

To assist with efficient processing, I am happy to receive:
- summaries;
- indexes;
- extracts;
- or descriptions of systems where full documents are not readily retrievable.

7. Assistance (Section 13)

If any part of this request is likely to be refused under section 18(f) (substantial collation), I request that you:

- provide reasonable assistance to refine the request;
- identify what information can be provided within scope;
- and prioritise confirmation of whether systems or records exist.

8. Public Interest

This request relates to:
- transparency and accountability of the veterans’ support system;
- the traceability of advice provided to Ministers;
- and the ability to assess whether identified issues are acted upon.

These matters are of significant public interest, particularly given the vulnerability of the veteran population and the cross-agency nature of service delivery.

I look forward to your response within the statutory timeframe.

Kind regards,

Spencer Jones