29 September 2022
Scout Barbour-Evans
[FYI request #20447 email]
Tēnā koe Scout
Thank you for your email of 2 September 2022 requesting the following:
1. What percentage of New Zealand classrooms and ECE providers now have air
purifiers with HEPA filters?
2. How did this percentage shift over the winter months, as ventilating with a window
became more unreasonable in some areas?
3. What percentage of our schools and ECE providers have access to CO2 monitors to
check the safety of their classrooms?
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
In addressing part one of your request, as at 28 September 2022, we have provided state
and state-integrated schools with more than 13,500 portable air cleaners (purifiers, with
HEPA filters) to assist with their COVID-19 response. Given that we have an estimated
36,500 teaching spaces in the school property portfolio, the Ministry-only provision of air
cleaners works out nominally at one air cleaner unit per every 2.7 teaching spaces.
The number of air cleaners used within each school and its learning and other spaces will
vary. Each school is responsible for reviewing our published guidance and deciding how and
where to utilise air cleaners, which they may source from the Ministry at no cost or purchase
themselves.
The Ministry does not generally have a role in ownership or property management for early
childhood education (ECE) services. ECE service providers are responsible for
building-related issues, including meeting ventilation-related licensing criteria.
Outside of the nominal estimations provided above, and as we hold no information on any air
cleaners that schools or ECE services may have purchased themselves we are therefore
unable to provide a percentage of classroom and ECE services where air cleaners are in
use. This part of your request is therefore refused under section 18(g) of the Act, as the
information requested is not held by the Ministry and we have no grounds for believing that it
is either held by or more closely related to the functions of another department or
organisation subject to the Act.
In addressing part two of your request. Below is a table showing the provision of air cleaner
units to schools per quarter:
Year
2022
Quarter
Jan-Mar
Apr-Jun
Jul-Sep
Total
Air Cleaners
413 units
7927 units
5425 units
13,765
OIA: 1295190
National Office, PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140.
Phone: +64 4 463 8000 Fax: +64 4 463 8001
In answer to part three of your request, the Ministry has actively worked with schools and
ECE services to provide, or assist them in purchasing, quality CO2 monitors as part of our
COVID-19 response throughout the 2022 calendar year.
The Ministry can confirm that 2,466 state and state-integrated schools have been provided
with one or more portable CO2 monitors, with more than 12,000 units being distributed in
total and with additional devices available on request. This is approximately 100% of
schools, noting some schools have fixed CO2 monitoring systems in place.
The Ministry has also provided funding for 1,770 ECE services in receipt of Targeted
Funding for Disadvantage to purchase CO2 monitors. As above, the Ministry does not hold
information on CO2 monitors purchased or utilised by ECE services and therefore cannot
confirm the percentage of ECE services that have access to CO2 monitors. This part of your
request is therefore also refused under section 18(g) of the Act, as the information requested
is not held by the Ministry.
Please note, the Ministry now proactively publishes official information responses on our
website. As such, we may publish this response on our website after five working days. Your
name and contact details will be removed.
Thank you again for your email. You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to review the
decision on your request, in accordance with section 28 of the Act. You can do this by writing
to [email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10-152,
Wellington 6143.
Nāku noa, nā
Sam Fowler
Head of Property
Te Puna Hanganga, Matihiko | Infrastructure and Digital
education.govt.nz
