Dear Mr Creswell

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your official information request dated 4 July 2022 asking for information relating to Legal Costs.

We received your request on 4 July 2022. We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in any event no later than 1 August 2022, being 20 working days after the day your request was received. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of an extension of that timeframe.

If you have any queries, please feel free to contact me on (06) 349 0001 or by return email. If any additional factors come to light which are relevant to your request, please do not hesitate to contact me so that these can be taken into account.

Kind regards

Hayley Fitzgerald

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Dear Mr Cresswell,

 

I refer to your official information request dated 4 July 2022 asking for
information relating to external and in-house legal costs for the past
five years.

 

The information you have requested is as follows.

 

1. Please provide the total legal spend per external legal provider for
the following financial years:

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22.

 

Provider   2018/19  2019/20  2020/21  2021/22
    $  $  $  $
Armstrong
Barton -                    
Legal   -                  3,738                4,219                5,442
Brookfields                    
Lawyers   -                       -                  5,114                     -  
Buddle
Findlay                26,462                5,502              20,729                1,462
Dentons
Kensington
Swan
Lawyers                65,128              96,391              90,897                  81,270
Dewhirst
Law - Legal                25,925              49,469              27,396              13,426
Fitzherbert
Rowe
Lawyers                47,499              40,863            115,966            143,291
Horsley
Christie
(Legal)                10,662              30,118              22,057              11,306
Simpson
Grierson                55,429              15,724              15,003              23,082
Treadwell
Gordon & Co                  
(Legal)   531                     -                13,139              11,158

 

 

2. Please provide the legal budget for the in-house legal team for the
following financial years:

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22.

 

We are refusing this part of your request pursuant to Section 7(2)(a) of
the LGOIMA. Given the small number of legal staff there is a real
likelihood that releasing this information could reveal salary information
about identifiable individuals. Withholding the information is necessary
to protect their privacy. The countervailing public interest in this
matter has been considered when making this decision.

 

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
[1]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.

 

If you wish to discuss this decision with us, please feel free to contact
me on 06 349 0001 or by return email.

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Hayley Fitzgerald

 

On behalf of

Rob Goldsbury

General Counsel

 

 

 

 

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