Level 2, Wintec House
P 0800 86 22 84
Corner Anglesea and Nisbet Sts
info@tepūkenga.ac.nz
Hamilton 3204
tepūkenga.ac.nz
7 December 2022
MD Stewart
By email:
[FYI request #21184 email]
Tēnā koe
Request under the Official Information Act 1982 – Communications between Unitec and AUT
regarding establishment or transfer of osteopathy training programme
Thank you for your email of 22 November 2022 requesting the following information under the
Official Information Act 1982 (OIA):
“…any correspondence or record of meeting between Dr Chris McGrath and Dr Nick Penney
and Duncan Reid Associate Dean of Health and Max Abbott former Dean of the School of
Health and Environmental Sciences, or between any non-academic or academic staff of AUT
and any non-academic or academic staff of Unitec regarding the establishment of a new
osteopathy training programme at AUT or the transfer of the Unitec Bachelor of Applied
Science and Master of Osteopathy programme to AUT University. The date range of interest is
August 2014 to 1 Jan 2020.”
This letter provides you with a decision on your response under the OIA.
Unitec has made enquiries with current Unitec staff members who were involved in the discussions
with AUT, and I have
attached copies of the relevant correspondence within scope of your request.
Names and contact details of individuals have been redacted on the grounds of privacy under
section 9(2)(a) of the OIA.
As it is currently framed, it would be difficult to meet the remainder of your request (where it relates
to “
any non-academic or academic staff of Unitec”) without substantial collation or research. A
search of all Unitec staff email folders within the timeframe of August 2014 to 1 January 2020 would
return a huge number of emails, even if the search was limited to the keywords “
Osteopathy” and
“
AUT”. Reviewing each of these emails, firstly for relevance and secondly to make a decision on the
release of the information e.g., if anything needs to be withheld under the OIA, would unreasonably
interfere with the operations of Unitec. Unless this part of your request is amended, we may have to
refuse it under section 18(f) of the OIA, which applies where the information cannot be made
available without substantial collation or research.
Please let us know by emailin
g OIA@tepūkenga.ac.nz whether you are prepared to amend or clarify
your request and, if so, how. For example, it would assist Unitec to locate the requested information
if you could limit the date range, name specified individuals that are a party to the requested
correspondence and/or provide specific subject headings. If we do not hear from you by 23
December 2023, or if you confirm that you do not wish to amend or clarify your request, then this
part of your request will be refused in accordance with section 18(f) of the OIA.
Please note that you have the right, undersection 28(3) of the OIA, to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman if you are not happy with this response. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by cal ing 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Peter Winder
Acting Chief Executive
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