14 December 2023
Immigration Lawyers New Zealand
[FYI request #24878 email]
DOIA 2324-1161
Tēnā koutou Immigration Lawyers New Zealand
Thank you for your email of 27 November 2023 to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
(MBIE) requesting, under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), the fol owing information:
Immigration New Zealand used to publish downloadable links to the operational manual in PDF
format.
It appears they have removed the links and now only provide the "online version".
I hereby request the operational manual in PDF form for each of below topics.
-
Administration
-
Residence
-
Temporary entry class visa
-
Transit visa
-
Border Entry
-
Compliance
-
Refugee and protection
-
Appendices
Our Response
MBIE no longer maintains a PDF version of the Immigration New Zealand Operational Manual. MBIE staff
would need to manually convert each page of the manual into a PDF version in order to make it available
to you. This would remove MBIE staff from their core duties and therefore the greater public interest would
not be served.
Because the information you requested is publicly available, MBIE is refusing your request under section
18(d) of the Act.
Had MBIE decided to grant your request, consistent with section 16(2) of the Act, there is an obligation to
provide the information in the way you preferred (PDF). However, in accordance with section 16(2)(a) of
the Act, we would not have provided the information in a PDF, as doing so would have impaired efficient
administration.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request or this response, or if you require any further assistance,
please contact
[email address].
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information
about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802
602.
Nāku noa, nā
Karen Bishop
General Manager
Service Design and Implementation
Immigration New Zealand
