OIA 50657 Joel Robinson.pdf

16 June 2026

     File Ref: OIA 50657
Joel Robinson
[FYI request #34645 email]

Tēnā koe Joel

Official Information Act request

Thank you for your information request dated 7 May 2026. You sought the following:

“I am requesting the following information under the Official Information Act 1982.
This  request  relates  to  any  funding,  contracts,  grants,  sponsorships,
procurement  arrangements,  partnership  agreements,  memoranda  of
understanding,  or  other  financial  support  provided  by  your  organisation  to
Pūhoro Charitable Trust, Pūhoro STEMM Academy, or Pūhoro.
Please provide information for the period 1 July 2023 to the date of this request.
Please provide:
-  A  list  of  all  funding  arrangements  with  Pūhoro,  including  the  name  of  the
arrangement, start and end date, total approved value, amount paid by financial
year, and whether the funding was contestable or non-contestable.
-  Copies  of  the  relevant  funding  agreements,  contracts,  data-sharing
agreements,  grant  agreements,  variations,  memoranda  of  understanding,
schedules of deliverables, reporting requirements, and performance measures.
-  Copies  of  reporting  received  from  Pūhoro,  including  milestone  reports,
performance reports, monitoring reports, evaluation reports, acquittals, invoices,
and evidence of delivery.
- Any outcome data held by your organisation relating to Pūhoro, including the
number  of  participants  who  entered  tertiary  study,  degree-level  study,
engineering,  technology,  IT/computer  science,  science,  health,  other  STEMM
pathways, or STEMM employment.
- Any substantive correspondence, including emails, between your organisation
and Pūhoro relating to:
* renewal, extension, variation, or increase of funding;
* reporting, performance measures, or outcome data;
* definitions of “transition to tertiary”, “STEMM pathway”, “science qualification”,
or similar outcome measures;
*  concerns  or  issues  with  delivery,  reporting,  payment,  invoicing,  or  contract
performance.

If any part of this request is too broad, please contact me before refusing it so I
can refine the scope.”
On 28 May 2026, you were notified of an extension of the timeframe for the response, to
enable time for consultations. I am now in a position to respond.
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (Act).
Twenty-one  documents have been  identified in scope of  your  request. The documents
and my  decisions  with regard  to the release of the  information are  set  out  in the table
attached  as  Appendix  A.  A  funding  table  summarising  the  funding  arrangements  with
Pūhoro is provided in Appendix B.
Some information has been withheld in accordance with the Act on the following grounds:
•  9(2)(g)(i ): to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the protection
of  such  Ministers,  members  of  organisations,  officers,  and  employees  from
improper pressure or harassment;
•  9(2)(a): to protect the privacy of natural persons;
•  9(2)(b)(i ):  to  protect  information  where  the  making  available  of  the  information
would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the commercial position of the person
who supplied or who is the subject of the information; and
•  9(2)(ba): confidential information.
Some information has also been withheld as it is out of scope.
In relation to information that has been withheld under section 9 of the Act, I am of the
opinion that there are no countervailing considerations that make it desirable, in the public
interest, to make the information available at this time.
The  information  provided  includes  funding  agreements,  reporting  documentation,  and
outcome-related  information  held  by  Te  Puni  Kōkiri,  as  well  as  substantive
correspondence between Te Puni Kōkiri and Pūhoro Charitable Trust relating to funding,
reporting, and contract delivery.

I trust my response satisfies your request.

You  have  the  right  to  seek  an  investigation  and  review  by  the  Ombudsman  of  this
response.  Information  about  how  to  make  a  complaint  is  available  at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.

Please note that Te Puni Kōkiri publishes some of its OIA responses on its website, after
the  response  is  sent  to  the  requester.  The  responses  published  are  those  that  are
considered to have a high level of public interest. We wil  not publish your name, address
or contact details. If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with us, including this
decision, please feel free to contact us at [TPK request email].

Nāku noa, nā

Grace Smit
Hautū, Te Puni Rohe | Deputy Secretary, Regions

Appendix A: Documents - OIA request from Joel Robinson dated 7 May 2026

Item
Date
Document description
Decision
Pūhoro Charitable Trust Interim Progress
Released with some information withheld under
1
19 July 2023
Report
sections 9(2)(g)(i ), 9(2)(b)(i ) and 9(2)(a).
INV-0168 - Invoice (cadetships progress
2
26 July 2023
Released in full.
payment)
Pūhoro Charitable Trust Final Report – Te
Released with some information withheld under
3
1 November 2023
Puni Kōkiri Cadetship Initiative
sections 9(2)(g)(i ), 9(2)(ba) and 9(2)(a).
Pūhoro Charitable Trust Cadetships 2022-
Released with some information withheld under
4
6 November 2023
2023 Final Monitoring Template -
section 9(2)(a).
Spreadsheet (participant outcomes)
Pūhoro Charitable Trust Variation
Released with some information withheld under
5
13 November 2023  Tono/Request - Prepared for the Te Puni
sections 9(2)(g)(i ) and 9(2)(a).
Kōkiri Cadetship Initiative
Released with some information withheld under
Email correspondence - Update Email -
6
6 June 2024
section 9(2)(g)(i ) and some information withheld as
Pūhoro
it is not in scope.
TPK Funding Financial Report Final
7
17 June 2024
(Cadetships) - spreadsheet of funding
Released in full.
breakdown
INV-0230 - Invoice - Final Milestone Report -
8
18 June 2024
Completion of Cadetship Programme
Released in full.
Pūhoro Charitable Trust
Pūhoro Charitable Trust Final Report
Released with some information withheld under
9
18 June 2024
(Variation) - Te Puni Kōkiri Cadetship Initiative  sections 9(2)(g)(i ), 9(2)(b)(i ) and 9(2)(a).
Pūhoro Charitable Trust Cadetships 2023-
Released with some information withheld under
10
19 June 2024
2024 Final Monitoring Template Spreadsheet
section 9(2)(a).
(participant outcomes)
Māori Development Fund Investment
Released with some information withheld under
11
25 March 2025
Agreement for Pūhoro Charitable Trust -
section 9(2)(a).
Pūhoro Stemm Academy

INV-0295 – Pūhoro Charitable Trust Invoice -
12
28 March 2025
Released in full.
Execution of agreement
13
12 June 2025
Pūhoro Charitable Trust progress report
Released with some information withheld under
section 9(2)(a).
14
12 June 2025
Whāia Te Pae Tawhiti progress report
Released with some information withheld under
section 9(2)(a) and 9(2)(b)(i ).
INV-0309 – Invoice - Pūhoro Charitable Trust
15
13 June 2025
Released in full.
(progress payment)
Email correspondence - Progress Report and
Released with some information withheld under
16
13 June 2025
section 9(2)(g)(i ), 9(2)(a) and some information
Invoice
withheld as it is not in scope.
Released with some information withheld under
Email correspondence – Update - Pūhoro
section 9(2)(g)(i ) and some information withheld as
17
27 August 2025
STEMM Academy
it is not in scope.

Whāia Te Pae Tawhiti - Empowering
Rangatahi Māori to Forge the Future with
Released with some information withheld under
18
9 December 2025
Confidence and Increased Economic Acuity -
section 9(2)(a) and 9(2)(b)(i ).
Pūhoro Charitable Trust
Pūhoro Charitable Trust Māori Development
Released with some information withheld under
19
10 December 2025  Funding wrap-up report
section 9(2)(a).
Final whakataukī list - Resource (programme
20
12 December 2025
Released in full
material)
Released with some information withheld under
21
Unknown
Pūhoro STEMM Pathway Mahi - Resource
sections 9(2)(g)(i ) and 9(2)(a).

Appendix B: Funding Table

Amount
Amount
Funding Split

Financial
Initiative
Ref ID
Approved
Paid (excl.
by FY (excl.
Contestable
Year(s)
(excl. GST)
GST)
GST)
FY2022/23:
Yes
FY2022/23,
$70,000;
Cadetships
NDOE-MDF-CAD/HO.34594.50678
$200,000
$200,000
FY2023/24
FY2023/24:
$130,000
Māori
Yes
FY2024/25:
Development
MDF/HO.34594.52826
FY2024/25
$400,000
$400,000
$400,000
Fund