[FYI request #20957 email] <fyi-request-20957-
[email address]>
Dear Mason
Official Information Act 1982 - Request for Information Dated 26 October 2022
1.
We write in response to your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
OIA) dated 26 October 2022 to Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (
MBIE)
for the following information:
“In the 2013/14 and 2014/15 financial year Auror (previously known as eyedentify), was
granted two separate lots of taxpayer funding under the New Zealand Venture Investment
Fund.
(https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/order-paper-questions/written-
questions/document/QWA_00575_2017/575-2017-rt-hon-winston-peters-to-the-minister-for-
economic). Please provide:
a. Any documents or material related to the proposal which including any reference
to license plate recognition technology or ANPR related references.
b. Any consultation with the NZ Police regarding this proposal. If so, provide the
communications. (emails etc)
c. Any record of the conditions of the funding.”
2.
MBIE has provided your OIA request to New Zealand Growth Capital Partners
(
NZGCP), formerly called New Zealand Venture Investment Fund, as NZGCP hold
information responding to your request and MBIE does not hold any relevant information
itself. We set out NZGCP’s response below.
3.
As a general comment, NZGCP confirms that it:
1.
Does not hold any information in relation to any consultation with the New
Zealand Police regarding this proposal.
2.
Does hold information responding to the balance of your OIA request, and
NZGCP has carefully reviewed that information for the purposes of making a
decision on your request. Having carried out that review, NZGCP discloses
information responding to a number of your requests. However, NZGCP is
withholding some documents or portions of documents in a number of instances
on the basis that it has good reason for doing so under section 9 of the
OIA. Where NZGCP is withholding documents or portions of documents, it has
considered whether the public interest in favour of disclosure outweighs the
reasons for withholding it, and concluded that it does not in those instances.
4.
In particular, NZGCP has withheld information (both as redactions and entire
documents) that:
1.
is private information of natural persons (pursuant to s9(2)(a) of the OIA).
This applies to:
a.
the personal information of individuals (including email addresses
and telephone numbers of individuals); and
[email address]
Auckland
Wellington
www.nzgcp.co.nz
Level 9, 125 Queen Street
Level 9, 5 Willeston St.
Auckland CBD 1010
Wellington Central, 6011
PO Box 91705, Victoria St West,
PO Box 5177
Auckland 1142
Wellington 6140
b.
the amount of money certain individuals invested.
2.
is commercially sensitive, includes trade secrets, and/or disclosure of this
information would be likely to prejudice unreasonably the commercial position
and activities of Auror and NZGCP (pursuant to s9(2)(b)). This applies to:
a.
The sum NZGCP paid for its shares in Auror, and the current
estimate of the value of those shares;
b.
Information provided by Auror to NZGCP prior to NZGCP’s
decision to invest in Auror;
c.
Internal NZGCP information on its decision to invest in Auror;
d.
Information NZGCP holds to monitor its investment in Auror;
e.
Information on NZGCP’s interaction with Sparkbox on the
investment in Auror;
3.
is subject to an obligation of confidence, where the making available of that
information may prejudice the supply of similar information, and it is in the public
interest that such information should continue to be supplied (pursuant to
s9(2)(ba) of the OIA). In particular, NZGCP is subject to contractual obligations
to hold information relating to Auror on a confidential basis. This applies to:
a.
Information provided by Auror to NZGCP prior to NZGCP’s
decision to invest in Auror;
b.
Internal NZGCP information on its decision to invest in Auror;
c.
Information NZGCP holds to monitor its investment in Auror;
d.
Information on NZGCP’s interaction with Sparkbox on the
investment in Auror;
4.
contains legally privileged information (pursuant to s9(2)(h) of the OIA).
This applies to:
a.
Legal advice provided by NZGCP by its external lawyers.
5.
Against that backdrop, NZGCP is providing 14 documents in response to your OIA
request. The documents that are being disclosed to you are
enclosed in the document
folder that accompanies this letter.
6.
Two of those documents have been released in their entirety, while the remaining
12 have had redactions applied for the reasons set out at paragraph 4 above.
7.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this
response to your OIA request. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
[email address]
Auckland
Wellington
www.nzgcp.co.nz
Level 9, 125 Queen Street
Level 9, 5 Willeston St.
Auckland CBD 1010
Wellington Central, 6011
PO Box 91705, Victoria St West,
PO Box 5177
Auckland 1142
Wellington 6140
8.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Yours sincerely
Rebecca (Bex) Janes
Head of Legal
[email address]
Auckland
Wellington
www.nzgcp.co.nz
Level 9, 125 Queen Street
Level 9, 5 Willeston St.
Auckland CBD 1010
Wellington Central, 6011
PO Box 91705, Victoria St West,
PO Box 5177
Auckland 1142
Wellington 6140
[email address]
Auckland
Wellington
www.nzgcp.co.nz
Level 9, 125 Queen Street
Level 9, 5 Willeston St.
Auckland CBD 1010
Wellington Central, 6011
PO Box 91705, Victoria St West,
PO Box 5177
Auckland 1142
Wellington 6140
