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This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Official Information request 'NAATI credential compliance and subcontracting practices in Ministry of Education interpreting and translation services'.

[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL] 
 
P Peach 
[FYI request #34268 email] 
29 April 2026 
Tēnā koe P Peach 
OIA: GEMS-47461 - Ministry interpreting and translation services 
Thank you for your email of 27 March 2026 via the FYI website to the Ministry of 
Education (the Ministry) requesting information. Due to the length of the request this 
is provided below as Annex One. 
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act). 
The Ministry needs to extend the timeframe for responding to your request, pursuant 
to section 15A(1)(b) of the Act, as consultations necessary to make a decision on the 
request are such that a proper response cannot reasonably be made within the 
original time limit. You can now expect to receive a response to your request on or 
before 20 May 2026, which is an extension of 15 working days. 
You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to review my decision on your request, in 
accordance with section 28 of the Act. You can do this by writing to 
[email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, 
Wellington 6143. 
Nāku noa, nā 
 
Angus Maxim 
Senior Advisor, Executive and Parliamentary Information 
Te Pou Rangatōpū | Corporate 
 
 
 
Wellington – National Office, PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140 
Phone: +64 4 463 8000 
education.govt.nz 
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Annex One: 
SECTION A: SUBCONTRACTING ARRANGEMENTS 
1. Whether the Ministry of Education's interpreting and translation providers are 
permitted to subcontract assignments to third parties, including overseas-based 
agencies or individual contractors located outside New Zealand. 
2. Any conditions or restrictions in the Ministry of Education's contracts with 
interpreting and translation providers regarding the use of subcontractors, including 
any requirements that subcontractors be based in New Zealand or hold an 
appropriate New Zealand work visa. 
3. Whether the Ministry of Education requires providers to disclose the identity, 
location, or credentials of individual interpreters or translators — including 
subcontractors — who carry out assignments on the Ministry's behalf. 
4. Whether the Ministry of Education has any knowledge of, or has sought 
information about, assignments being routed to interpreters or translators located 
outside New Zealand. 
5. Any instances where the Ministry of Education became aware that an assignment 
was conducted by a person located outside New Zealand or by an uncredentialled 
subcontractor, and any action taken as a result. 
SECTION B: NAATI CREDENTIAL COMPLIANCE 
6. What mechanism, if any, the Ministry of Education uses to verify that individual 
interpreters and translators carrying out assignments on its behalf — including those 
engaged through subcontracting arrangements — hold a valid NAATI credential or 
Working Towards NAATI (WTN) status. 
7. Whether the Ministry of Education requires its interpreting and translation 
providers to maintain and supply a current register of credential ed practitioners 
working under Ministry contracts, and if so whether the Ministry has received and 
reviewed such registers. 
8. Any audits, spot checks, or compliance reviews conducted by the Ministry of 
Education on its interpreting and translation providers since 1 July 2024 to verify 
NAATI credential compliance, including the methodology and findings of any such 
reviews. 
9. Any instances since 1 July 2024 where a provider was found to have used an 
interpreter or translator who did not hold the required NAATI credential or Working 
Towards NAATI (WTN) status, and any consequences or remedial action taken. 
10. Any complaints received by the Ministry of Education since 1 July 2024 from 
staff, students, families, or members of the public regarding the qualifications or 
conduct of an interpreter or translator engaged through the Ministry's services. 
 
education.govt.nz 
 
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SECTION C: INTERPRETER AND TRANSLATOR PAY VISIBILITY 
11. Whether the Ministry of Education has any information about the rates or fees 
paid by its providers to individual interpreters or translators for assignments 
conducted on the Ministry's behalf. 
12. Whether the Ministry of Education has ever sought, as part of contract 
negotiations, tendering processes, or performance reviews, any information about 
the pay or working conditions of interpreters or translators engaged through its 
provider contracts. 
13. Any internal policies, briefings, risk assessments, or correspondence within the 
Ministry of Education regarding the fair remuneration or employment conditions of 
interpreters and translators working under its contracts, including any concerns 
raised about the margin between rates paid to providers and rates passed on to 
practitioners. 
14. Whether the Ministry of Education's tendering or procurement criteria for 
interpreting and translation services include any consideration of whether providers 
pay practitioners at or above a minimum rate, living wage, or industry standard. 
 
education.govt.nz 
 
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OIA: GEMS-47461 
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