30 October 2023
Barry Murphy
[FYI request #24278 email]
Dear Mr Murphy
Thank you for your emails of 29 September and 11 October 2023 to Kāinga Ora – Homes
and Communities, requesting information about the proposed Teitei Drive, Ohakune
development under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (the Act). I have answered your
individual questions below.
Request of 29 September 2023:
1./ Please provide costings and quotes and emails from TLC to connect power
At the time of your request, Kāinga Ora had not received any costings or quotes from TLC
to connect power, and therefore I am declining this part of your request under section
18(e) as the information did not exist. However, subsequent to receiving your request,
Kāinga Ora received and accepted a quote for a study to be undertaken with TLC to
commission a study and produce cost estimates of the network upgrades required to cater
for new proposed Teitei Drive subdivision. The quoted cost for this study is
$4,000-$6,000. Once complete, this will inform the final scope of works put in place for the
provision of power.
2./ Please provide costings and quotes from Chorus and emails to connect
telecommunications.
Kāinga Ora has engaged Chorus for $2,500 to undertake early design. This work will
inform the final scope of works put in place for the provision of telecommunications.
Emails between Kāinga Ora and Chorus relating to telecommunications are attached. I
have withheld names and contact details of Chorus and Cheal staff, and Kāinga Ora staff
mobile numbers, under section 9(2)(a) of the Act to protect privacy.
3./ Please provide latest contracted amounts for Teitei by table with headings:
- contracted company
- value signed
- total amount agreed for contingency (or max contract value)
- amount spent to date
Please see attached spreadsheet.
4./ Please list any contracts that have not yet been signed to date and the
estimated value of the spend, for the avoidance of doubt, if water has not yet been
quoted from Veolia then list it along with the latest total estimated cost.
A full procurement plan will follow completion of the detailed design of the proposed site. I
am withholding information relating to contracts that have not been signed and estimated
costs under section 9(2)(b)(ii) as the release of this information
“would likely unreasonably
to prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied or who is the subject of
the information”. This information is also withheld under section 9(2)(j) to allow Kāinga Ora
to
“carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities”.
5./ Please advise what costs Ruapehu District Council is required to pay.
6./ Please provide the costing or estimates of future maintenance RDC will need to
pay, i.e.
- $x per annum for swales
- $x per annum for detention ponds maintenance
- $x per annum for pumping station maintenance
- $x per annum for power for street lighting
- $x per annum for road maintenance
- $x per annum for mowing berms
Kāinga Ora does not hold information relating to Ruapehu District Council costs. However,
I note that the costs you requested cannot be determined prior to settling on an agreed
design for the development.
I understand that you asked these same questions (5 and 6) to the Council. They will
respond to you in due course.
Request of 11 October 2023:
7./ Please provide all the costs or estimates along with a breakdown of what they
are for, i.e. water, power, etc.
I refer you to questions 3 and 4.
8./ Please provide the cost estimate from The Lines Company (TLC) for providing
power for the 47 connections that was requested.
I refer you to question 1.
9./ What is the total cost TLC is charging (i.e. if there are transformer costs that
TLC are not paying for or have requested be shared cost).
I refer you to question 1.
10./ OIA documents revealed that a budget increase of $2m would be covered by
KO. What caused these increases, please provide information on the amount and
the service to which it relates, i.e. design, surveyors, earthworks, etc.
Updated budget assessments are made periodically throughout the preliminary stages of
a project and take into account current estimated values for proposed works, including
market pricing. Al budgets remain estimates and subject to change until services are
contracted based on final design.
Under section 9 of the Act, I consider that the public interest does not outweigh the
reasons for withholding the information. You have the right to seek an investigation and
review by the Ombudsman of my decision to withhold some information. Information about
how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or Freephone
0800 802 602.
Please note that Kāinga Ora proactively releases our responses to official information
requests where possible. Our response to your request may be published at
https:/ kaingaora.govt.nz/publications/official-information-requests/ with your personal
information removed.
Yours sincerely
Mark Fraser
General Manager - Urban Development and Delivery