Dear Upper Hutt City Council, for the attention of Mr Mike Ryan.
As part of an ongoing complaint to the Ombudsman, I am undertaking some research into RAAYS (or Youth and RAAYS) as I understand the quarterly meetings became known as. I also understand (from Karen Patterson, of the Upper Hutt City Council (UHCC)) that the UHCC no longer has anything to do with RAAYS (or Youth and RAAYS). She also stated that she did not know who is now coordinating or running RAAYS (or Youth and RAAYS). Additionally I was informed at a meeting held on 03 April 2017 between myself and members of the Board of Trustees of Fergusson Intermediate School (Paul Patterson, Ros Connelly and Rhys West) along with a representative of the Ministry of Education (Ella Tavernor) that RAAYS (or Youth and RAAYS) was still valid and running successfully in the Upper Hutt region, however I have been unable to find any evidence of that from anyone or other agencies involved in the project. The school representatives could not tell me who is running or coordinating it, the UHCC supposedly have nothing to do with it, NZ Police or ICAFS do not run/coordinate it neither does CYF - the Ministry for Venerable Children (as it is now known). As can be seen by the above something is not correct as nobody appears to be taking responsibility for this project if it is still valid and running.
I understand the “Upper Hutt City Council Community Development Team” as it is called in the RAAYS Memorandum of Understandings falls under your portfolio, and were heading up RAAYS (or Youth and RAAYS), therefore these questions are directed at them in an attempt to try and get some straight answers, clarity and certainty.
Please supply the following information under the Official Information Act (OIA):

1. Has the Upper Hutt City Council in any of its portfolio's or in any way have or had anything to do with running or coordinating RAAYS or Youth and RAAYS in the calendar years (January - December) of 2016 and/or 2017?
2. When did the UHCC Community Development Team formally end is association with RAAYS (or Youth and RAAYS)? or if it is still engaged with the RAAYS (or Youth and RAAYS) project and associated agencies, please provide a point of contact and contact details.
3. Who or which organisation did the UHCC Community Development Team (or whoever was coordinating the project) pass or hand over the running/coordination of RAAYS (or Youth and RAAYS) to?

4. As at April 2017, was RAAYS (or Youth and RAAYS) still a valid project in the Upper Hutt region? If so:
a. Who or which organisation is currently running/coordinating RAAYS (or Youth and RAAYS)?
Note1: If it is still a valid project, somebody must know about it and there must be some documentation held by some organisation.

5. Who was (or is) responsible for ensuring schools and agencies were “operating as per the outline of the RAAYS project” when the UHCC was running/coordinating the RAAYS (or Youth and RAAYS) project.
Note 1: This is a direct quote from the MOU’s between the agencies and the school.
Note 2: I am asking this question as Fergusson Intermediate School wrote their own policies on how they will use “RAAYS” in 2012 which are not in line with either of the RAAYS MOU’s they signed, and as such have been using RAAYS with the UHCC, NZ Police, CYF and Hutt Valley DHB logos for reasons other than truancy.
NOTE 3: The information previously provided to myself by the UHCC regarding the RAAYS project/system clearly states "The letters do not replace the regular system that a school has in place for dealing with truancy, such as phone calls, in school support etc”, which is not what Ferguson Intermediate School has been doing. They have been using RAAYS as their ONLY system and as I have said previously they have also been using the system for reasons other than truancy.

6. What measures and systems were in place to ensure schools and agencies were “operating as per the outline of the RAAYS project” since its inception and introduction into the Upper Hutt area (Circa March 2012) until it either ceased to be a valid project or present day if it is still a valid project.
Note 1: This was when the UHCC were running/coordination the RAAYS project.

Yours faithfully,

Howard Rait