22 September 2021
Ref: DOIA 2122-0186
Rachel
[FYI request #16195 email] Dear Rachel
Thank you for your email of 27 July 2021 to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following information:
“Could I please request the following information for the time frame of 01 February 2021 to 01 July
2021, broken down into daily records:
1. The total number of MIQ rooms on each day (broken down into those not available for use due
to cleaning or maintenance, those retained for emergency and those available for use)
2. The number of MIQ rooms physically occupied, on each day
3. The number of MIQ rooms reserved for a voucher holding occupant on each day”
The capacity of Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) is approximately 4000 rooms over an 18-20 day
period.
We do not collate all of the information you have requested in the first part of question 1 in a way that can
be made available without substantial collation
. Specifically, that is, the rooms that are unavailable at each
separate MIQ facility due to ‘cleaning or maintenance’ each day, is not aggregated and recorded centrally.
Therefore we are refusing that part of your request under section 18(f) of the Act.
We have, however, provided you with the most up-to-date figures for the second part of question one;
namely the rooms that have been used for Emergency Allocation Requests on a daily basis.
The table below shows the usage from 1 December 2020 as at 6 September 2021. It is important to note
that during April-June we had a sustained period of lower demand for MIQ rooms – this meant that the
number of Emergency Allocation applications delegated decision makers approved significantly decreased
as people were able to secure a room directly through the Managed Isolation Allocation System.
400
14+today(1) DAY ROLLING TOTAL OF APPROVALS
Emergency Allocation Quota
300
200
100
0
The threshold for Emergency Allocation Requests is high. Details of the criteria and application can be
found
at www.miq.govt.nz/travel-to-new-zealand/secure-your-place-in-managed-isolation/emergency-
allocation-requests/ The 350 rooms allocated for Emergency Allocations Requests is not a quota or a target, but rather a
contingency pool of rooms that is available for this use for those who meet the criteria and are approved
by the delegated decision makers. This number is regularly reviewed to ensure it is sufficient to
accommodate travel which is genuinely urgent while not compromising the operational safety of our 31
facilities.
Changes are being made to the criteria for Emergency Allocation Requests, details of these changes can be
found
at www.miq.govt.nz/about/news/emergency-allocation-criteria-changes/ The information you have requested in questions two and three of your request are released daily and can
be found at
https://www.mbie.govt.nz/business-and-employment/economic-development/covid-19-
data-resources/managed-isolation-and-quarantine-data/. Therefore this part of your request is refused
pursuant to section 18(d) of the Act, as the information is already publicly available.
We also apologise for the delay in responding to you, which occurred because the due date of your request
was when the country entered into a nationwide Level 4 lockdown, which caused delays for some pieces
of work as immediate priorities within MIQ shifted in reaction to the announcement. We thank you for
your patience and understanding at this time.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this response. Information to
make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Russell Burnard
Acting General Manager National Operations Services
Managed Isolation and Quarantine
