13 July 2026
Wayne Scott
Sent via email to
[FYI request #34863 email]
Request for Official Information
LG26-0193 - Snow Chain and Winter Driving
Dear Wayne,
Thank you for your request for information held by the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC). On
6 June 2026 you requested the following information under the Local Government Official Information
and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA):
This request relates to any QLDC requirement, policy, procedure, delegation, operational
arrangement or contractor instruction concerning when snow chains are required to be fitted to
vehicles on roads within QLDC’s district, including roads providing access to ski fields where QLDC
has any role, responsibility, involvement or influence.
1. The current policy, rule, procedure, delegation, contractor instruction or operational
guidance that sets out when snow chains must be fitted to vehicles.
2. The defined criteria used to decide when chains are required. For example, whether the
decision is based on snow depth, ice, road surface temperature, weather conditions, vehicle
type, road gradient, crash risk, Police advice, contractor advice, ski field advice or any other
objective criteria.
3. Any documents that explain who has authority to require motorists to fit chains, including
whether that authority sits with QLDC staff, contractors, ski field staff, Police or any other
party.
4. Any delegations, contracts, memoranda of understanding, agreements or operational
arrangements that give contractors or ski field staff authority to direct motorists to fit
chains.
5. Any training material, induction material, qualifications, standard operating procedures or
competency requirements for contractors, ski field staff or any other people who make
decisions about requiring motorists to fit chains.
6. What legal mechanism is being utilised to grant staff of a private company to instruct
members of the public to utilise snow chains on a public road.
7. Any risk assessments, health and safety assessments, legal advice, engineering advice or
operational reviews relating to the decision to require chains.
8. Any records, reports, emails, meeting notes or briefings from the last five years that discuss
whether snow chains should be required, when they should be required and who should
make that decision.
9. Any investigation, assessment or advice undertaken by QLDC regarding the use of snow
tyres or winter tyres as an alternative to chains.
10. Any records that explain why the benefits of snow tyres or winter tyres have not been
adopted into QLDC’s chain requirement system, if that is the case.
11. Any consideration given to a simple identification system for vehicles fitted with recognised
winter tyres, such as a user pays sticker, permit or other visible approval system.
12. Any correspondence between QLDC and ski field operators, contractors, Police, Waka
Kotahi, insurers or road safety advisers regarding snow chains, snow tyres, winter driving
requirements or access road safety.
On 6 July 2026, QLDC emailed you with a partial release of information relating to your request. For
clarity, the response is summarised as follows:
Information released:
• Items 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 (in part), 8, 9, 10 and 11
Information withheld:
• Items 2, 5 and 7 (in part)– withheld under sections 6(c) (maintenance of the law), 7(2)(a)
(privacy), 7(2)(f)(ii) (improper pressure or harassment) and 7(2)(g) (legal professional
privilege) of the LGOIMA.
On the same response, QLDC advised that item 12 of your request as currently framed would be very
difficult to meet without substantial collation or research; that it would involve a considerable amount
of information, and responding in its present form would place a considerable strain on our
operations.
QLDC informed you that if your request was not amended, QLDC may have to refuse it under section
17(f) of the LGOIMA, which applies where the information cannot be made available without
substantial collation or research. QLDC requested that you inform it by return email, no later than 9
July 2026, whether you were willing to amend or clarify your request, and if so, in what manner.
As of today’s date, QLDC has not received any further communication from you in response to that
request for refinement.
QLDC RESPONSE
Decision to refuse information
12. Any correspondence between QLDC and ski field operators, contractors, Police, Waka
Kotahi, insurers or road safety advisers regarding snow chains, snow tyres, winter driving
requirements or access road safety.
QLDC has good reason under section 17(f) of the LGOIMA for refusing the information requested in
item 12 of your request. QLDC considers it is necessary to refuse the requested information on the
basis of the following grounds:
• Section 17(f) - that the information requested cannot be made available without substantial
collation or research.
Section 17(f) of the LGOIMA provides that a local authority is not required to provide information
where the information requested cannot be made available without substantial collation or research.
This recognises that, in some cases, the scale of work required to compile the information would
unreasonably interfere with the authority’s operations.
Without refinement, your request as currently framed would be very difficult to meet without
substantial collation or research. It involves a considerable amount of information, and responding in
its present form would place a considerable strain on our operations.
QLDC has considered whether charging a fee or extending the response timeframe, as required under
section 17(f) of the LGOIMA, would assist in meeting your request. However, QLDC has determined
that neither charging nor extending the timeframe would help in this situation. Extending the
timeframe would not alleviate the operational challenges QLDC faces, and charging would not address
the underlying issue of resource constraints in processing such a large volume of information.
Therefore, neither charging nor an extension would effectively resolve the issue.
In response to your request, QLDC:
• Carried out a search of its email records for relevant correspondence and documentation. One
search was undertaken, which returned a total of 14,323 emails.
• Consulted with you to refine the scope of your request. Specifically, you were requested to
consider:
a. Limiting the information to materials created or received between [insert specific start
date] and [insert end date].
b. Limiting correspondence to those involving [insert relevant staff names or roles, for
example: QLDC Policy Advisor, QLDC Roading Operations Manager, or identified external
facilities].
c. Identifying areas of particular interest, key points, documentation or analysis essential
to the needs of the information requested, for example: specific matter, or specific
discussions, etc.
As of today’s date, QLDC has not received any further communication from you in response to that
request for refinement.
Fulfilling your request in its current form would be highly challenging due to the substantial collation
or research required. Accordingly, QLDC has decided to refuse the information requested in item 12
of your request under section 17(f) of the LGOIMA.
Right to review the above decision
You have the right to request an investigation and review of this decision by the Ombudsman under
section 27(3) of the LGOIMA. Further information is available
at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by calling 0800 802 602.
If you wish to discuss this decision with QLDC, please con
tact [email address] (Director
Democracy Services).
Kind regards,
Larissa
Democracy Services Team
Corporate Services | Queenstown Lakes District Council
P: +64 3 441 0499
E:
[email address]
