OFFICE OF THE VICE CHANCELLOR
Office of the Vice-Chancel or
22 Princes Street, Auckland 1142
Telephone: (64) (09) 3737599 ext 87746
Email:
[email address]
The University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019
Auckland 1142, New Zealand
19 December 2017
Richard S.
By email: [FYI request #6859 email]
Dear Richard
I refer to your email of 20 November 2017. The University’s response follows.
A. Minutes regarding 2006 change in calculation of honours
(1) Under the Official Information Act 1982, may I please request all information held by the University (including but
not limited to email correspondence, minutes, decisions, and resolutions) regarding the "2006 decision to adopt a
consistent standard across the University for the award of honours in postgraduate Bachelors Honours and Masters
degrees" (as referenced in your response of 3 August 2017 to my previous OIA request).
See attached.
B. Minutes of the Law School Postgraduate Committee
Under the Official Information Act 1982, may I please request:
(2) the full minutes of the Law School Postgraduate Committee meeting held 9 October 2007;
See attached.
(3) any information, records or fol ow-up correspondence held by the University regarding the "irregularity in
calculating the honours marks for students in the LLM programme" that was highlighted at the meeting held 9
October 2007;
(4) the full minutes of the Law School Postgraduate Committee meeting held 13 November 2007; and
The suspected “irregularity” mentioned at item 6 in the minutes of the Postgraduate Committee meeting held 9
October 2007 was discussed at the following meeting on 13 November 2007 at item 3.6. Note that there are two
versions of the minutes for this meeting. The first version, entitled “PG Committee Minutes October_07” is a draft;
the second version, entitled “PG Committee Minutes November_07(NC)” is the final version approved as true and
accurate by the Postgraduate Committee at the fol owing meeting. The draft minutes and the approved minutes for
the meeting of 13 November 2007 are both attached.
(5) a formal decision or resolution authorising the change in how honours was calculated within the Law School
specifically (noting that at the 13 November 2007 Law School Postgraduate Committee meeting, the NRC only
recommended the Faculty develop a system consistent with University policy).
All Faculties are required to implement University policies; after a policy is adopted by the University no further
resolutions or decisions by University committees or staff members are necessary to authorise its implementation in
particular Faculties. Information regarding the 2006 decision to adopt a consistent standard for the award of
honours across the University has been provided above at A(1).
I note your statement that, at the meeting on 13 November 2007, Neil Campbel “only recommended that the
Faculty develop a system consistent with University policy for the calculation of honours”. This appears to be
sourced from item 3.6 of the draft minutes. The approved minutes state the following at item 3.6:
“Calculation of honours.
NRC advised that, after discussing this with the Dean, it was apparent that the Faculty’s system
for calculating honours was consistent with University policy.”
C. Edits to Faculty of Law Website
Under the Official Information Act 1982, may I please request:
(6) Any information held by the University which demonstrates the fol owing (noting these events may have occurred
simultaneously):
(i) "Postgraduate Documents" - when was the "Postgraduate Documents" page available on the fol owing link
removed from the Faculty of Law's website (available from the Faculty of Law homepage > For Postgraduate students
> Postgraduate Documents):
http://www.law.auckland.ac.nz:80/en/for/future-postgraduates/fp-postgraduate-documents.html
(iii) "LLM Marking Guide" - when was the direct hyperlink to the "LLM Marking Guide" removed from the above page
of the Faculty of Law website (if at all) (available from the Faculty of Law homepage > For Postgraduate students >
Postgraduate Documents > LLM Marking Guide).
We have decided to provide you with the date that the specified Postgraduate Documents webpage was taken down
from the University’s website, and the date that the hyperlink to the LLM Marking Guide was removed from that
webpage, if this information is held by the University. We have also decided to provide you with supporting
information for these dates if this is held by the University. The information will be provided as soon as practicable.
Requests A(1) and B(3) were for all information held by the University on specific topics. Unfortunately it is not
possible to make all of the information requested available to you without substantial col ation and research. The
University has provided you with some of the information requested in A(1) and B(3); your requests for the
remaining information held by the University are refused under s 18(f) of the Official Information Act. You have the
right to seek an investigation and review of this refusal by way of a complaint to an Ombudsman under s 28(3) of the
Official information Act.
Yours sincerely
Rebecca Ewert
General Counsel
