28 April 2026
Tēnā koe Rose Calix
Official Information Act request
Thank you for your email of 8 April 2026, requesting a breakdown of beneficiary
overseas holidays from 1 July 2025 to present, including amount paid, and
expected travel.
I have considered your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
Please find my decision on your request set out below.
Your request for the numbers of beneficiaries who have travelled overseas during
FY2025/2026, total amount of days spent overseas, and the total amounts paid to
beneficiaries during this period while overseas is being refused under section 18(f)
of the Act, as substantial manual collation would be required to collate this
information. If held, this information would only be contained within individual
client files, which would each require manual review to respond to your request.
The greater public interest is in the effective and efficient administration of the
public service.
I have considered whether the Ministry would be able to respond to your request
given extra time, or the ability to charge for the information requested. I have
concluded that, in either case, the Ministry’s ability to undertake its work would
still be prejudiced.
Regarding your request for how many beneficiaries are expected to travel overseas
during the remainder of 2026, for the Act to apply, the information you are
requesting must already be held at the time the request is received. There is no
obligation on an agency to form an opinion or create new information to answer a
request, except when providing a statement of reasons explaining a decision that
has affected the requester. The Ministry is therefore not obliged to answer this
question under the Act, as it is not asking for information that is already held.
I will be publishing this decision letter, with your personal details deleted, on the
Ministry’s website in due course.
If you wish to discuss this response with us, please feel free to contact
[MSD request email].
The Aurora Centre, 56 The Terrace, PO Box 1556, Wellington
– Telephone 04-916 3300 – Facsimile 04-918 0099
If you are not satisfied with my decision on your request for a breakdown of
beneficiary overseas holidays from 1 July 2025 to present, including amount paid,
and expected travel, you have the right to seek an investigation and review by the
Ombudsman. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi nui
pp.
Anna Graham
General Manager
Ministerial and Executive Services
