27 July 2023
Shane Gibson
[FYI request #23318 email]
Ref: OIA-2022/23-1069
Dear Shane Gibson
Official Information Act request relating to the annual amount spent with specific
suppliers for the 2021/2022 financial year
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request received on 29 June 2023.
You requested:
I would like an extract of the annual amount spent with all suppliers where the Supplier
name begins with the letter A for the 2021/2022 financial year.
This is a subset of the volume of data I have earlier requested which you decided not to
provide due to the high level of effort required. The smaller set of data requested
should result in a smaller amount of effort.
I would like this data in an open format, csv or json formats would be suitable.
I do not want this information provided in pdf or watermarked pdf format, as this is not
an open format.
I would like the following details provided:
- Supplier Name
- Suppliers NZBN number (if available)
- Total Amount Spent
- GST Exclusive amount
I am refusing your request under section 18(f) of the Act on the basis that the information
cannot be made available without substantial collation. Preparing the data for release would
require us to manually review and cross-reference each individual data point against financial
and human resource records, as our business needs do not require us to be able to
automatically generate this data for reporting or making payments. As such, making this data
available cannot be achieved without substantial manual collation.
I have considered whether extending the time for response or imposing a charge would
alleviate the reasons for this refusal (section 18A refers) and determined that neither option
would enable a response. I have also considered whether refining the request would enable
response (section 18B refers); however, I did not identify any refinement which would assist
in processing your request while still satisfying your interests.
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision under
section 28(3) of the Act.
4766649
Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
64 4 817 9698 www.dpmc.govt.nz
This response wil not be published on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s
website.
Yours sincerely
Clare Ward
Executive Director
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
4766649
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