24 August 2021
John Luke
[FYI request #16224 email]
Ref: OIA-2021/22-0053
Dear John Luke
Official Information Act request relating to current working groups and costs
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request received on 27 July 2021.
You requested:
“Can you please provide me with an updates on the list of current working groups and
it’s cost?”
I note that the article you refer to in your request is from 2018 and the cost quoted was
collated by the National Party using information collected from across government in
responses to multiple written parliamentary questions and Official Information Act requests
from many different Minister’s and agencies, and then averaged out. The Department of the
Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) does not maintain a list of all working groups and the
expenditure on these. Therefore, I am refusing your request pursuant to section 18(e) of the
Act as the document alleged to contain the information requested does not exist.
While in these circumstances we would normally transfer your request to other relevant
agencies, DPMC does not know which working groups are the responsibility of which
government agencies. If you still wish to know the number and cost of government working
groups, I suggest you contact agencies separately for this information.
For information on established inter-agency working groups activated by DPMC, please see
the following link:
dpmc.govt.nz/our-programmes/national-security-and-intelligence/new-
zealands-national-security-system-during-a-crisis/governance-during-crisis/working-groups-
and-specialist-groups You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision under
section 28(3) of the Act.
We do not intend to publish this response on the Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet’s website.
Yours sincerely
Clare Ward
Executive Director
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
4423484
64 4 817 9698 www.dpmc.govt.nz
