[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
Joe Clarke
[FYI request #34689 email]
27 May 2026
Tēnā koe Joe
OIA: [GEMS-47930 & 48106] – Information concerning future of Westbridge
School
Thank you for your email of 29 April 2026 to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry)
requesting the following information:
Following the end of public consultation about the closure of Westbridge
Residential School, please provide:
1. any summaries/analysis/reports about the consultation feedback
2. any communication/advice between the Secretary, Deputy Secretary
Policy, Deputy Secretary Education Services, Deputy Secretary
Learning Support and Director for Auckland about closure of
Westbridge Residential School
3. any correspondence/advice with the Minister or other government
agencies about closure of Westbridge Residential School.
4. Please also advise when the decision about closure of Westbridge
Residential School wil be released.
Thank you too for your email of 13 May 2026 to the Ministry of Education (the
Ministry) requesting the following information:
5. Please provide copies of all submissions received in response to the
proposed closure of Westbridge Residential School.
Your requests have been combined, numbered for ease of reference and considered
under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
Regarding
part 1 of your request, the Ministry is in the process of producing a
summary of the submissions received, which wil be published once the Minister has
reached her decision regarding the future of Westbridge School. It is therefore
necessary to refuse part 1 of your request under section 18(g) of the Act, as the
Wel ington – National Office, PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140
Phone: +64 4 463 8000
education.govt.nz
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
information requested is not yet held by the Ministry, and I have no grounds for
believing that it is either held by, or more closely related to the functions of, another
department or organisation subject to the Act.
Information in scope of
parts 2 and 3 of your request is withheld in full under section
18(a) by virtue of section 9(2)(f)(iv) of the Act, to maintain the constitutional
conventions for the time being which protects the confidentiality of advice tendered
by Ministers of the Crown and officials.
The information at issue relates to advice, analysis, and recommendations prepared
for the Minister of Education regarding the proposed closure of Westbridge
Residential School. The Minister’s decision-making process is stil underway and no
final decision has been made.
Release of this information at this stage would be likely to:
• Prejudice the Minister’s ability to consider advice in confidence, including the
full range of options, risks, and impacts associated with the proposed closure.
• Undermine the effective and orderly decision-making process, by placing
incomplete and evolving advice into the public domain before it has been fully
considered.
• Inhibit the free and frank expression of views by officials, who must be able to
provide candid advice (including identifying risks, uncertainties, and alternative
options) to support robust decision-making.
• Create a real risk of public misunderstanding or speculation, given that the
material reflects preliminary positions and does not represent a settled view or
final decision.
In these circumstances, we consider that withholding is necessary to uphold the
constitutional convention that Ministers can receive and consider advice in
confidence prior to making decisions.
We have also considered whether the public interest in release outweighs the need
to withhold this information, as required under section 9(1) of the Act.
We acknowledge that there is a significant public interest in transparency and
accountability, particularly in relation to decisions affecting students, whānau, staff,
and the wider community connected to Westbridge Residential School.
However, we consider that this public interest is best served, at this stage, by
ensuring that the Minister can make a well-informed decision based on full and
candid advice. Premature disclosure of that advice would be likely to compromise the
quality and integrity of the decision-making process.
education.govt.nz
Page 2 of 4
OIA: GEMS-47930 & 48106
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
We note that once the Minister’s decision has been made, there wil be a stronger
public interest in the release of information explaining the basis for that decision, and
we expect that further information wil be able to be made available at that time.
You may be interested in a Report provided to the Minister of Education at the end of
2025, regarding the future of Westbridge School which is publicly available and can
be found at the following link:
ER 1354661 (Signed) Consideration of the future of Westbridge Residential
School-final-_Redacted.pdf
Regarding
part 4 of your request, the Ministry does not hold a specific date for when
the Minister will reach her decision. We therefore refuse this aspect of your request
under section 18(g) of the Act as set out above.
Information in scope of
part 5 of your request is withheld in full under section 18(a)
by virtue of section 9(2)(ba)(ii) of the Act to protect information which is subject to an
obligation of confidence, where disclosure would be likely to prejudice the supply of
similar information, or information from the same source, and it is in the public
interest that such information should continue to be supplied.
The Ministry considers that, given the sensitivity of the issue under consultation, most
submissions have been made with the expectation of discretion. Some of the
submissions include personal and private information which, even if redacted to
preserve anonymity, may still risk disclosing the identity of the submitter to others in
their community. We consider that disclosure of these submissions could have a
negative impact on vulnerable students and their families. We also consider that
many contributors would not have participated if they thought that their submissions
would be published.
In terms of the public interest that such information should continue to be supplied,
the Ministry relies on the wil ingness of the public to respond candidly in
these consultation processes. We consider that publication of such sensitive
information would inhibit the public’s wil ingness to fully participate in future
consultations, and there is a strong public interest in preserving public trust in the
confidentiality of these processes.
As required under section 9(1) of the Act, we have considered the public interest in
the information withheld, of transparency of consultation processes and
understanding the range of views received. We believe that this public interest is
mitigated by our intention to publish a comprehensive summary of submissions and
therefore does not outweigh the need to withhold the information at this time.
education.govt.nz
Page 3 of 4
OIA: GEMS-47930 & 48106
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
Thank you again for your emails. 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 t
o [email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman,
PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.
Nāku noa, nā
Simon Blatchford
Manager, Network Strategy and Planning
Te Mahau | Education Services
education.govt.nz
Page 4 of 4
OIA: GEMS-47930 & 48106
[IN-CONFIDENCE - RELEASE EXTERNAL]
