Employment‑related termination and settlement payments

Ak Barossa made this Official Information request to Auckland Council

The request was refused by Auckland Council.

From: Ak Barossa

Employment‑related termination and settlement payments

I make this request under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA).

Information sought

For the two financial years ending 30 June 2024 and 30 June 2025, and
1 July 2025 to 23 March 2026.
I request the following information relating to payments made to employees (or former employees) in connection with the termination of their employment, excluding ordinary redundancy payments:

1. The total number of employment‑related termination settlements or payments made in each financial year.
2. The total dollar amount of all such payments made in each financial year.
3. The amount of the largest individual payment made in each financial year.

For the avoidance of doubt, this includes payments described as:

· severance payments
· ex gratia payments
· confidentiality or settlement agreement payments
· payments in lieu of notice
· any other payment made to settle a personal grievance, employment dispute, or to bring about the departure of an employee where the payment was not part of a standard redundancy process

If the council holds information that would allow the above to be broken down by the nature of the payment (for example, distinguishing between payments made under a formal settlement agreement versus other termination payments), I would be grateful for that breakdown.

Form of access requested

I prefer to receive the information electronically, in a spreadsheet (Excel or CSV) or PDF format. If a spreadsheet with the above figures is not readily available, I am happy to receive the information in any format that is convenient for you.

Public interest

I consider that disclosure of the aggregated information is in the public interest because it relates to the expenditure of public funds by a local authority. I note that the Ombudsman has consistently held that transparency in the use of public money outweighs privacy interests at the aggregate level, and that councils are required to report severance payments in their annual reports under Schedule 10 of the Local Government Act 2002.

Assistance

If any part of my request is unclear, or if you consider that the information cannot be provided without substantial collation or research (section 17(f) of LGOIMA), please contact me so that we can discuss narrowing the scope. I am also happy to receive the information in stages if that makes it easier to process.

Please acknowledge receipt of this request and advise of any transfer of part of the request to another agency under section 13 of LGOIMA.

Thank you for your assistance.

Link to this

From: Official Information
Auckland Council


Attachment LGOIMA and Privacy Information Sheet 2025.pdf
169K Download View as HTML


Kia ora Ak

 

Thank you for your request for information  

 

We have attached an information sheet on our processes and requirements
under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.

 

We will respond to your request as soon as possible and in any event no
later than 20 working days after the day your request was received. This
will be by 22.04.2026

 

If you have further questions please feel free to contact Jenny Hua via
reply email to [1][Auckland Council request email] quoting
reference 8140018869

 

 

Ngā mihi,

The Privacy and LGOIMA team

Auckland Council

 

 

From: Ak Barossa <[FOI #34215 email]>
Sent: Monday, 23 March 2026 9:45 pm
To: Official Information <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Employment‑related termination and
settlement payments

 

Employment‑related termination and settlement payments

I make this request under the Local Government Official Information and
Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA).

Information sought

For the two financial years ending 30 June 2024 and 30 June 2025, and
1 July 2025 to 23 March 2026.
I request the following information relating to payments made to employees
(or former employees) in connection with the termination of their
employment, excluding ordinary redundancy payments:

1. The total number of employment‑related termination settlements or
payments made in each financial year.
2. The total dollar amount of all such payments made in each financial
year.
3. The amount of the largest individual payment made in each financial
year.

For the avoidance of doubt, this includes payments described as:

· severance payments
· ex gratia payments
· confidentiality or settlement agreement payments
· payments in lieu of notice
· any other payment made to settle a personal grievance, employment
dispute, or to bring about the departure of an employee where the payment
was not part of a standard redundancy process

If the council holds information that would allow the above to be broken
down by the nature of the payment (for example, distinguishing between
payments made under a formal settlement agreement versus other termination
payments), I would be grateful for that breakdown.

Form of access requested

I prefer to receive the information electronically, in a spreadsheet
(Excel or CSV) or PDF format. If a spreadsheet with the above figures is
not readily available, I am happy to receive the information in any format
that is convenient for you.

Public interest

I consider that disclosure of the aggregated information is in the public
interest because it relates to the expenditure of public funds by a local
authority. I note that the Ombudsman has consistently held that
transparency in the use of public money outweighs privacy interests at the
aggregate level, and that councils are required to report severance
payments in their annual reports under Schedule 10 of the Local Government
Act 2002.

Assistance

If any part of my request is unclear, or if you consider that the
information cannot be provided without substantial collation or research
(section 17(f) of LGOIMA), please contact me so that we can discuss
narrowing the scope. I am also happy to receive the information in stages
if that makes it easier to process.

Please acknowledge receipt of this request and advise of any transfer of
part of the request to another agency under section 13 of LGOIMA.

Thank you for your assistance.

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

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[2][FOI #34215 email]

Is [3][Auckland Council request email] the wrong address for
Official Information requests to Auckland Council? If so, please contact
us using this form:
[4]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[5]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

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Auckland Council


Attachment 8140018869 Response Letter.pdf
160K Download View as HTML


Kia ora 
 
Thank you for your request for information
regarding employment termination and settlement payments.
 
Please find attached our response letter.
 
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me on
09 301 0101, quoting Official Information Request No 8140018869.
 
Ngā mihi
Jenny Hua
Senior Privacy & Official Information Business Partner
Customer Experience & Digital Services 
[1]Remember Tamariki 16 years and under swim free at Auckland Council
Pools.

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References

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1. https://aucklandleisure.co.nz/free-swimm...

Link to this

From: Ak Barossa

Dear Auckland

1. Please provide the exact name this information is called in the annual plan or provide a direct link to the location in each plan.

2. Please provide all Council information as to why this information isn't readily available and instead would require staff to spend ~20 hours to retrieve it.

Yours sincerely,

Ak Barossa

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Things to do with this request

Anyone:
Auckland Council only: