19 June 2026
Ref: DOIA-REQ-0032756-Joel Robinson
Joel Robinson
Email:
[FYI request #34646 email]
Tēnā koe Joel Robinson
Thank you for your email of 7 May 2026 to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), the fol owing information:
I am requesting the fol owing 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 4 June 2026 the due date to respond to your request was extended until 19 June 2026. The reason for
the extension was that consultations necessary to make a decision on your request were such that a
proper response could not be made within the original time limit.
Please see below my response to your request.
Records of research funding by MBIE are publicly available on the MBIE website. The Who Got Funded
webpage lists al the grants for scientific research and associated activities funded by MBIE including to
the Pūhoro Charitable Trust. MBIE is therefore refusing the first part of your request under section 18(d)
of the Act, as the information requested is publicly available at the fol owing link:
• Who Got Funded:
https://www.mbie.govt.nz/science-and-technology/science-and-
innovation/funding-information-and-opportunities/investment-funds/who-got-funded
MBIE has identified two contracts held with Pūhoro Charitable Trust since July 2023. Please find attached
the documentation relevant to these contracts that is in scope of the remaining parts of your request as
outlined in the below document tables:
PCTBO2301: Nurturing Mātauranga-Inspired Rangatahi STEM Practitioners for Tomorrow’s STEM
Economy
No Date
Description
Withholding
grounds
1
5 February
Funding Agreement
9(2)(a), 9(2)(b)(ii)
2024
2
19 September
Progress Report
N/A
2024
3
19 September
Progress Report Complementary Information
N/A
2024
4
19 September
Final Report
9(2)(a), 9(2)(b)((ii)
2025
5
19 September
Final Report Complementary Information
9(2)(a), 9(2)(b)((ii)
2025
6
8-9 September RE: Contract # - HAKT PCTBO2301
9(2)(a)
2025
PCTBO2403: Increasing engineering and mātauranga capability to develop sustainable natural and built
environment solutions for communities to prosper
No Date
Title
Withholding
grounds
1
7 May 2025
Funding Agreement
9(2)(a), 9(2)(b)(ii)
2
February 2026
Progress Report
9(2)(a)
3
February 2026
Progress Report Complementary Information
9(2)(a), 9(2)(b)(ii)
Please note some information has been withheld under the fol owing sections of the Act:
• 9(2)(a), to protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of deceased natural persons;
• 9(2)(b)(ii), 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;
I do not consider that the withholding of this information is outweighed by public interest considerations
in making the information available.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, or if you require any further assistance,
please contact
[email address].
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information
about how to make a complaint is available a
t www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802
602.
Nāku noa, nā
Alan Coulson
Manager, Contestable Investments
Science System Investment and Performance
Labour Science and Enterprise, MBIE