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here: [1]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/

 

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Kia ora Irene,

Please see the attached letter from the New Zealand Customs Service advising you of the transfer of your request to the Civil Aviation Authority.

Ngā mihi

Correspondence, Reviews, and Ministerial Servicing | Kaitohutohu Matua Arotake Whakawhitiwhiti, Take Minita
New Zealand Customs Service | Te Mana Ārai o Aotearoa

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Kia ora Irene,

 

I am writing with reference to your request under the Official Information
Act transferred to the CAA from NZ Customs for the following information -

 

Under the OIA I request:

- All internal emails regarding the long queues experienced at Auckland
Airport on 26 November, including the formulation of the communications
response;

- Any subsequent briefings, memos, aide-memoire or key learnings developed
from the events of 26 November.

- Any subsequent briefings, memos, aide-memoire or key learnings developed
from the events of 19 October when similar queues occurred from the extra
charter flight.

I am also interested to know:

- What evidence does the NZCS have that increased passenger numbers were
due to "thanksgiving"?

- What passenger information does the New Zealand Customs Service receive
and at what interval regarding expected or actual passenger numbers
(noting the Herald reported "Auckland Airport shares flight and passenger
data in advance"?

- What plans are in place to ensure this doesn't occur again in the short
term, particularly as we head into the Christmas/New Year period?”

 

The OIA requires that we advise you of our decision on your request no
later than 20 working days after the day we received your request.
Unfortunately, it will not be possible to meet that time limit and we are
therefore writing to notify you of an extension of the time to make our
decision, to 13 February 2024 (additional 20 working days).

 

This extension is necessary because your request necessitates a search
through a large quantity of information and requires liaising and
collation from different internal staff at the Authority.

 

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. 

 

If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with us, including this
decision, please feel free to contact me at [1][email address].

 

Ngâ mihi

Talia Rachel Zachariah (she/her)*

Official Information Advisor | Kaitohutohu

Legal Services Unit | LSU

Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand | Aviation Security Service

Te Mana Rererangi Tûmatanui o Aotearoa | Kaiwhakamaru Rererangi

 

[2]image002 (2)  [3]avsecSeal

 

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic mail transmission is confidential,
may be privileged and should be read or retained only by the intended
recipient. If you have received this transmission in error, please
immediately notify the sender and delete it from your system.

 

*If you’re wondering about the use of the pronouns he/him on this
signature, [4]read this article about how sharing pronouns in this way can
help create an inclusive and safe environment for transgender and
nonbinary colleagues

 

 

This e-mail (and its accompanying attachments) is intended for the named
recipient only and may contain information that is provided in confidence
and may be subject to legal privilege. Any classification marking must be
adhered to. If you are not the intended recipient please inform the sender
and destroy the message. If you have received this message in error you
must not distribute or copy this e-mail or its attachments. The Civil
Aviation Authority accepts no responsibility for any changes made to this
message after the transmission from the Civil Aviation Authority. Before
opening or using attachments, check them for viruses and other effects.
This communication may be accessed or retained for information assurance
and cyber security purposes.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
4. https://medium.com/gender-inclusivit/why...

Kia ora Irene,

 

Thank you for your patience while we compiled our response to your
Official Information Act request. Attached is a binder containing all of
the information that you requested in respect of the following:

 

- All internal emails regarding the long queues experienced at Auckland
Airport on 26 November, including the formulation of the communications
response;

- Any subsequent briefings, memos, aide-memoire or key learnings developed
from the events of 26 November.

- Any subsequent briefings, memos, aide-memoire or key learnings developed
from the events of 19 October when similar queues occurred from the extra
charter flight.

 

In addition, you also asked the following questions which we have
endeavoured to answer below:

 

- What evidence does the [Aviation Security Service] have that increased
passenger numbers were due to "thanksgiving"?

 

We can advise that of the US-bound departures from Auckland on 26 November
2023, not all of these flights were highly loaded, but three flights in
particular did have very high loadings on that day that far exceeded the
industry norm. These flights were all at similar times, so this was a
contributing factor to the disruption. We have attached a table
immediately below to illustrate these high flight loadings for you:

 

 

- What passenger information does the New Zealand [Aviation Security
Service] receive and at what interval regarding expected or actual
passenger numbers (noting the Herald reported "Auckland Airport shares
flight and passenger data in advance"?

 

Daily updates of scheduled flights and their aircraft capacities are
received from [1]Airport Coordination Limited (ACL). ACL undertake slot
coordination for New Zealand’s principal airports. The data on actual
passenger numbers is provided regularly after day of operation by the New
Zealand Customs Service. Both of these sources are used by the Aviation
Security Service and Auckland airport, who meet periodically to compare &
align planning assumptions, and these joint planning sessions were held
weekly in the run-up to Christmas. At an operational level, managers from
Auckland Airport, airlines, industry bodies and border agencies (including
the Aviation Security Service) meet weekly and share information on a
daily basis.

 

- What plans are in place to ensure this doesn't occur again in the short
term, particularly as we head into the Christmas/New Year period?

 

In addition to the exchange of information and cooperation outlined above,
Auckland Airport undertakes a joint planning operation “Project Capricorn”
each year, together with the Aviation Security Service and the other
parties mentioned above, to coordinate all aspects of planning and
communications for the Christmas holiday period.

 

We hope that this information is useful.

 

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
[2]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602. 

 

Nga Mihi,

Brett Mercer (he/him)  

Official Information Advisor | Kaitohutohu

Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand  Q Aviation Security Service

Te Mana Rererangi Tûmatanui o Aotearoa   |   Kaiwhakamaru Rererangi
Legal Services | OIA

( +64 4560 9754|email: [3][email address]

* Level 15, Asteron Centre, 55 Featherston Street, Wellington 6011, New
Zealand

P  Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

 

The contents of this email may be legally privileged.

 

 

This e-mail (and its accompanying attachments) is intended for the named
recipient only and may contain information that is provided in confidence
and may be subject to legal privilege. Any classification marking must be
adhered to. If you are not the intended recipient please inform the sender
and destroy the message. If you have received this message in error you
must not distribute or copy this e-mail or its attachments. The Civil
Aviation Authority accepts no responsibility for any changes made to this
message after the transmission from the Civil Aviation Authority. Before
opening or using attachments, check them for viruses and other effects.
This communication may be accessed or retained for information assurance
and cyber security purposes.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.acl-uk.org/
2. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
3. mailto:[email address]

Kia Ora Irene,

My apologies for that, I suspect that may be a problem with the FYI system, did you have a personal email you could provide that I could send the information to? Hopefully that will solve our problem!

Nga Mihi,

Brett Mercer (he/him)
Official Information Advisor | Kaitohutohu
Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand Aviation Security Service
Te Mana Rererangi Tūmatanui o Aotearoa | Kaiwhakamaru Rererangi
Legal Services | OIA
L +64 4560 9754|email: [email address]
B Level 15, Asteron Centre, 55 Featherston Street, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
 Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

The contents of this email may be legally privileged.

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