Dear Poto Williams,

I am making requests for official information. These requests are being made on the grounds of public interest in relation to the matters of transparency; participation; accountability; administration of justice; health, safety and the environment.

Please note that the requests are not just for documents, but also information. As such with regards to the Office of the Ombudsman guidance document “The OIA for Ministers and Agencies” these requests for official information include “information held in the memory of” the Minister and staff. As such unless there is a document which provides the information requested, the Minister and staff must be questioned to provide the held information from their memory. No sections of this request can be denied based on Section 18(e) unless they are also denied on Section 18(g).

Each of the points below is an individual request for official information. If any of the responses need to be extended that should not impact delivery of responses for those that do not require an extension. Any decision to extend a deadline should be accompanied with a Section 23 response.

Any information that is denied should be accompanied with a Section 23 response providing the reasons for the decision to deny the information. These should include the dates and times that the Minister and staff were questioned about their memory of the official information.

As per the Office of the Ombudsman guidance a clarification requested will only reset the deadline for the individual requests where a clarification is provided, the remainder of the requests for official information in this communication will have the original deadline remain.

Further in relation to the Office of the Ombudsman guidance “The agency’s primary legal obligation is to notify the requester of the decision on the request ‘as soon as reasonably practicable’. The reference to 20 working days is not the de facto goal but the absolute maximum (unless it is extended appropriately).” If the notification does happen on the last day of the 20 working day deadline please provide a Section 23 response as to why the decision was made that it was not ‘reasonably practicable’ to provide the decision sooner.

I am not providing a Privacy Waiver, and so any response to these requests for official information should have my personal information redacted.

1. On 26 November 2022 I submitted requests for official information to Hon Poto Williams via the fyi.org.nz website. This request can be found here: https://fyi.org.nz/request/21237-knowled...

Shortly after submitting the requests for official information the requests were marked for review by site administrators.

Please provide all documents and information related to the office of Hon Poto Williams being involved in marking the requests for review by site administrators. This should include any information submitted to fyi.org.nz in the “Reason” and “Please tell us more” sections of the form submission.

2. If request number 1 is not denied then please also provide a full Section 23 response regarding the decision to report the request to site administrators.

Yours faithfully,

"Canterbury Victim"