Employees in Ministers' Offices
Jenny Graves made this Official Information request to Department of Building and Housing
Department of Building and Housing did not have the information requested.
      From: Jenny Graves
      
    
    Dear Department of Building and Housing,
Please provide information provided to employees that sets out role, operating framework, what they can and cannot do, expectations when working in a Ministers’ Offices in the position as a Private Secretary (or like position). This may include - among information - a guide, a manual.
Please provide a list of positions located in Ministers’ Offices occupied by a Department employee. Please also provide a list documents provided to the employees who currently occupy these positions. Please provide these documents. If any are withhold, please the ground and the reason for not providing it.
Yours faithfully,
Jenny Graves
        Department of Building and Housing
      
    
    Thank you for your email. Please note that we will respond to your enquiry
 within 5 working days by return email or telephone if a phone number has
 been provided and you have requested us to contact you by telephone.
If your query is urgent, it is recommended that you phone the Contact
 Centre during our business hours of 8 am and 5.30 pm, Monday to Friday:
Bond enquiries: 0800 737 666
 Tenancy advice: 0800 83 62 62
 Email: [1][Department of Building and Housing request email]
International callers:
 Bond enquiries: +64 4 238 4693
 Tenancy advice: +64 4 238 4695
 Email: [2][Department of Building and Housing request email]
All enquiries relating to building or licensing of building practitioners
 should refer to the numbers below. Business hours are 8.30 am to 5 pm.
 Monday to
 Friday:
Building enquiries: 0800 242 243
 From overseas: +64 4 238 6362
 Email: [3][Department of Building and Housing request email]
Licensing enquiries: 0800 60 60 50
 From overseas: +64 4 238 6312
 Email: [4][email address] or [5][Department of Building and Housing request email]
All enquiries relating to the Weathertight Homes Resolution Service should
 refer to the numbers below. Business hours are 8.30 am to 5 pm. Monday to
 Friday:
Call 0800 116 926
 From overseas: +64 4 237 1604
 Hours of operation: 8.00 am - 5.30 pm NZT Monday - Friday
 Fax: 0800 116 189
 Email: [6]whrs.[Department of Building and Housing request email]
All enquiries relating to the Smarterhomes website, please contact:
Phone: 0800 83 62 62
 Email: [7][email address]
For enquiries about Building and Housing Sector Policy, Business Support,
 Communications, Human Resources and Organisation Capability, please
 contact:
Department of Building and Housing
 Level 6, 86 Customhouse Quay
 PO Box 10-729, Wellington
 Phone: +64 4 494 0260
 Fax: +64 4 494 0290
 Email: [8][Department of Building and Housing request email]
[Please do not reply to this email. Thank you.]
References
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 6. mailto:whrs.[Department of Building and Housing request email]
 7. mailto:[email address]
 8. mailto:[Department of Building and Housing request email]
        From: Serge Sablyak
        Department of Building and Housing
      
    
    Dear Jenny
 
Thank you for your information request, which is referenced below.  The
 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Building and Housing
 Group (formerly the Department of Building and Housing) does not provide
 any written guidance information to Private Secretaries in Ministers’
 offices (such as a guide or a manual).  I must therefore refuse this part
 of your request under section 18(e) of the Official Information Act 1982
 (“the Act”), on the grounds that the requested information does not exist.
 
For your information, the induction process for a new Private Secretary
 relies instead on verbal guidance, mentoring, peer support and whatever
 information is provided to the secondee in the course of their duties by
 the Department of Internal Affairs (Executive Government Support) as the
 receiving agency.  Each Minister’s office may also provide its own
 guidance and information materials based on the needs of the Minister.
 
Positions currently held by Ministry (Building and Housing Group)
 employees in Ministers’ offices are:
o Private Secretary to the Minister for Building and Construction
 o Private Secretary to the Minister of Housing
 o Private Secretary to the Associate Minister of Housing.
 
As part of the Ministry’s performance and development process, each
 seconded Private Secretary (like all other Ministry staff) is issued with
 an annual letter of expectations.  This letter records the agreed
 programme of work for the employee and how success will be measured.  It
 also sets out the employee’s agreed learning, development and career
 progression priorities.  Because of the timings of their respective
 appointments, one of the three Ministry secondees in Ministers’ offices
 currently has a letter of expectation issued to them.  Pursuant to section
 9(2)(a) of the Act, I have decided to withhold this letter to protect the
 privacy of the person concerned.  In making this decision, I have
 considered the countervailing public interest provisions in section 9(1).
 
You have the right under section 28(3) of the Act to ask the Ombudsman to
 investigate and review my decision to withhold this information.  The
 relevant contact details are:
The Ombudsman
Office of the Ombudsmen
PO Box 10 152
WELLINGTON 6143
Ph 0800 802 602
[1]www.ombudsmen.parliament.nz
I trust this information is helpful.
Kind regards
Serge Sablyak
 COORDINATOR MINISTERIAL SERVICES
 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
 Building and Housing Group
 DDI: (04) 817 4830
 Mobile: (021) 487 400
 Fax: (04) 494 0290
 Level 6, 86 Customhouse Quay
 PO Box 10729, Wellington 6143, New Zealand
     Dear Department of Building and Housing,
    
     Please provide information provided to employees that sets out
     role, operating framework, what they can and cannot do,
     expectations when working in a Ministers’ Offices in the position
     as a Private Secretary (or like position). This may include - among
     information - a guide, a manual.
    
     Please provide a list of positions located in Ministers’ Offices
     occupied by a Department employee. Please also provide a list
     documents provided to the employees who currently occupy these
     positions. Please provide these documents. If any are withhold,
     please the ground and the reason for not providing it.
    
     Yours faithfully,
    
     Jenny Graves
    
     -------------------------------------------------------------------
    
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     [OIA #481 email]
    
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     web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
    
    
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