30 May 2022
Andrew Ecclestone
Deputy Chair
New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
[FYI request #19255 email]
Tēnā koe Andrew,
Official Information Act (OIA) request: Stats NZ's processing of a previous OIA request
and its search for the information requested
Thank you for your email of 2 May 2022 requesting the following information under the
Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
On 12 April 2022, five weeks after the latest date on which it should have responded,
Statistics NZ refused the Council’s request of 8 February 2022
(https://fyi.org.nz/request/18491-stats-nz-discussion-paper-regarding-the-dimensions-
of-security-vs-transparency#incoming-72316). That request sought a copy of a
discussion paper which minutes of an NZSIS meeting with Statistics NZ recorded as
being written by the department with Customs New Zealand. The department stated
that it had been “unable to locate the paper”, and as such it believed that the paper did
not exist. It consequently refused the Council’s request under section 18(e) of the OIA.
The information the Council is now requesting from the department is as follows:
The date on which the department recognised that, according to its response of 12
April, “the request was not correctly logged.”
The name of the system in which the request should have been logged, and a copy of
the manual for this system as well as the department’s guidance or procedures for
logging OIA requests.
The number of OIA requests that have not been correctly logged in the system in the
12 months up to and including 12 April 2022.
The date on which the department was first contacted by the Office of the
Ombudsman regarding its failure to respond to the Council’s request of 8 February
2022.
The date on which the department responded to the Office of the Ombudsman
regarding its failure to respond to the Council’s request of 8 February 2022.
Al communications to and from the department and the Office of the Ombudsman
relating to the Council’s request of 8 February 2022.
Al the communications sent and received by the department, both internally and
externally, in the course of Statistics NZ’s search for the information requested in the
Council’s request of 8 February 2022.
Al telephone records or other notes made by officials in the department in the course
of processing the Council’s request of 8 February 2022.
[Statistics New Zealand request email]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
HP House
8 Gilmer Terrace
PO Box 2922
Wellington 6140
Al records of how the department searched for the information requested by the
Council on 8 February 2022. This includes search terms used when querying
information and records management systems including the department’s email
system, the names of the systems searched, the email accounts searched, the
officials from whom information was sought, and the information the department
provided to Customs New Zealand as part of its efforts to locate the information
requested by the Council.
Al records of any information or advice sought and received from the department’s
information and records management team in the course of trying to locate the
information requested by the Council on 8 February 2022.
Al information relating to communications the department may have had with former
officials of the department from 8 February 2022 to date that in any way relates to the
information requested by the Council on that date. Our understanding, from the NZSIS
minutes of the meeting with Statistics NZ on 15 May 2020
(https://fyi.org.nz/request/17682/response/69515/attach/4/2020%2005%2015%20RoM
%20Stats%20NZ%20NZSIS.pdf that we referred to in our request of 8 February 2022)
is that the meeting was attended by Travis Ancelet (then Secretariat for the Data
Ethics Advisory Board) and Dale Elvy (then Manager of Statistics NZ’s Systems Policy
Team) on behalf of the department. Both have subsequently left the department. We
would like to know (a) if the department searched the email accounts of these former
employees, (b) if the department contacted these former officials in the course of its
search for the information requested by the Council, and (c) if so to receive copies of
the communications sent and received.
The answers to your questions are outlined in the response below:
The date on which the department recognised that, according to its response of 12
April, “the request was not correctly logged.”
Stats NZ recognised that the request was not correctly logged on 8 April 2022.
The name of the system in which the request should have been logged, and a copy of
the manual for this system as well as the department’s guidance or procedures for
logging OIA requests.
All OIA requests received by Stats NZ are logged in an Excel spreadsheet file (Ministerial
Servicing log), which is saved in Stats NZ’s document management system, Tui Tuia. In mid-
February 2022, Stats NZ implemented an additional OIA tracker where OIAs are saved in a
Word document and updated weekly. This is also saved in Tui Tuia, in accordance with Stats
NZ’s data and information management policies and guidelines. Tui Tuia is the of icial
repository of corporate information and is an instance of the Cohesion Sharepoint 2016
platform provided by Intergen.
Enclosed in this response is a copy of Stats NZ’s Data and Information Management Policy,
a high-level guidance document to accompany the policy, and introductory and summary
information from the Tui Tuia system. Stats NZ’s Data and Information Management Policy is
currently being revised, but this work is nearing completion. Stats’s NZ’s OIA process
document is also attached; it wil need to be updated to reflect the additional processes
implemented in February 2022 and organisational changes.
[Statistics New Zealand request email]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
HP House
8 Gilmer Terrace
PO Box 2922
Wellington 6140
Title
Detail
Data and Information Management
Stats NZ’s Data and Information Management
Policy
Policy.
Data and Information Management
Stats NZ’s Data and Information Management
Policy – Guidelines
Policy Guidelines.
Tui Tuia Knowledge Centre -
Tui Tuia Wiki.
Knowledge Wiki Home
Tui Tuia Knowledge Centre - An
An introduction to Tui Tuia.
Introduction to Tui Tuia
Stats NZ's OIA Process
Stats NZ’s OIA process document and guidelines.
document_redacted
Redactions made under Section 9 (2) (a) of the Act.
The number of OIA requests that have not been correctly logged in the system in the
12 months up to and including 12 April 2022.
In the 12 months up to and including 12 April 2022, the only request that was not correctly
logged was the Council’s OIA request (8 February 2022).
The date on which the department was first contacted by the Office of the
Ombudsman regarding its failure to respond to the Council’s request of 8 February
2022.
Stats NZ received an email from the Of ice of the Ombudsman on 8 April 2022 relating to the
Council’s OIA request (8 February 2022).
The date on which the department responded to the Office of the Ombudsman
regarding its failure to respond to the Council’s request of 8 February 2022.
Stats NZ responded to the Office of the Ombudsman regarding its failure to respond to the
Council’s request (8 February 2022) on 8 April 2022; a response in full was provided on 12
April 2022.
Al communications to and from the department and the Office of the Ombudsman
relating to the Council’s request of 8 February 2022.
Title
Date
Detail
Correspondence with Of ice 8 April 2022
Email correspondence between Stats NZ
of the Ombudsman_8 April
and the Office of the Ombudsman
2022
Correspondence with Of ice 12 April 2022
Email correspondence between Stats NZ
of the Ombudsman_12 April
and the Office of the Ombudsman
2022
Attachments in email:
OIA0352 Andrew Ecclestone
NZCCL- discussion paper re
dimensions of security vs
transparency
[Statistics New Zealand request email]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
HP House
8 Gilmer Terrace
PO Box 2922
Wellington 6140
Correspondence with Of ice 13 April 2022
Email correspondence between Stats NZ
of the Ombudsman_13 April
and the Office of the Ombudsman
2022
Al the communications sent and received by the department, both internally and
externally, in the course of Statistics NZ’s search for the information requested in the
Council’s request of 8 February 2022.
Title
Date
Detail
Stats NZ internal
11 to 12 April
Email correspondence between Stats NZ
communications (1) 12 April 2022
staff. Redactions made under Section 9 (2)
2022
(a) and Section 9 (2)(g)(i) of the Act.
Attachments: RE: Official
Information request- Data
Ethics Advisory Group (1), RE:
Official Information request-
Data Ethics Advisory Group
(2), RE: Official Information
request- Data Ethics Advisory
Group (3)_redacted
RE: Official Information
24 February
Email correspondence between Stats NZ
request- Data Ethics
2022
staff related to the document requested by
Advisory Group
Council (8 February 2022). Part of the above
(part3)_redacted
attachments. Redactions made under
Section 9 (2)(a) and Section 9 (2)(g)(i) of the
Act.
Stats NZ staff text
11 April 2022
Text correspondence between Stats NZ
communication_11 April
staff.
2022
Al telephone records or other notes made by officials in the department in the course
of processing the Council’s request of 8 February 2022.
Date of call
Notes
8 April 2022
Call between Stats NZ staff to discuss the OIA that was
not correctly logged.
12 April 2022
Call between Stats NZ staff to discuss and confirm the
work undertaken in regard to the search of the
information requested in the Council’s request of 8
February 2022.
Al records of how the department searched for the information requested by the
Council on 8 February 2022. This includes search terms used when querying
information and records management systems including the department’s email
system, the names of the systems searched, the email accounts searched, the
officials from whom information was sought, and the information the department
[Statistics New Zealand request email]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
HP House
8 Gilmer Terrace
PO Box 2922
Wellington 6140
provided to Customs New Zealand as part of its efforts to locate the information
requested by the Council.
Stats NZ released information on a “discussion paper writ en for Customs NZ on the topic of
security vs. transparency” in a previous
OIA request. The information that was received as
part of processing that request formed the backbone of the search required for the Council’s
request (8 February 2022).
Stats NZ staff who may have been involved in or had knowledge of the discussion paper
were spoken to and the Tui Tuia database was searched for the relevant information. Stats
NZ conducted external consultations with Customs New Zealand and the Data Ethics
Advisory Group during the processing of that OIA request and key email communications are
provided above.
While processing this OIA request (2 May 2022), Stats NZ contacted NZ Security Intelligence
Service and Customs NZ again to ensure no information was missed in the search for the
information requested in the Council’s request (8 February 2022). NZ Security Intelligence
Service provided Stats NZ with additional information relevant to the Council’s request of 8
February 2022.
Title
Date
Detail
Communications between
6 to 11 May
Email correspondence between Stats NZ
Stats NZ and NZSIS_ 11
2022
and NZ Security Intelligence Service.
May 2022_Redacted
Redactions made under Section 6 (a) of the
Attachments: RE:data ethics at
Act.
NZSIS_Redacted
Al records of any information or advice sought and received from the department’s
information and records management team in the course of trying to locate the
information requested by the Council on 8 February 2022.
Stats NZ’s information and records management team were not involved with locating the
information requested by the Council on 8 February 2022.
Al information relating to communications the department may have had with former
officials of the department from 8 February 2022 to date that in any way relates to the
information requested by the Council on that date. Our understanding, from the NZSIS
minutes of the meeting with Statistics NZ on 15 May 2020
(https:/ fyi.org.nz/request/17682/response/69515/attach/4/2020%2005%2015%20RoM%
20Stats%20NZ%20NZSIS.pdf that we referred to in our request of 8 February 2022) is
that the meeting was attended by Travis Ancelet (then Secretariat for the Data Ethics
Advisory Board) and Dale Elvy (then Manager of Statistics NZ’s Systems Policy Team)
on behalf of the department. Both have subsequently left the department. We would
like to know (a) if the department searched the email accounts of these former
employees, (b) if the department contacted these former officials in the course of its
search for the information requested by the Council, and (c) if so to receive copies of
the communications sent and received.
Stats NZ did not contact or search the accounts of former employees, Travis Ancelet and
Dale Elvy, from 8 February 2022 to date regarding the Council’s request (8 February 2022)
because internal searches/consultation and external consultation showed that the document
in question did not exist; either at Customs New Zealand or at Stats NZ.
[Statistics New Zealand request email]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
HP House
8 Gilmer Terrace
PO Box 2922
Wellington 6140
Staff inboxes are also deleted after a period of 7 years and therefore are less likely to be
accessed for searches.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Please note that it is our policy to proactively release our responses to official information
requests where possible. This letter, with your personal details removed, wil be published on
the Stats NZ website. Publishing responses creates greater openness and transparency of
government decision-making and helps better inform public understanding of the reasons for
decisions.
Ngā mihi nui
Kate Satterthwaite
Senior Manager, Executive and Government Relations
Office of the Chief Executive
Stats NZ
[Statistics New Zealand request email]
toll-free 0508 525 525
stats.govt.nz
HP House
8 Gilmer Terrace
PO Box 2922
Wellington 6140
