Reference: 20240547
29 July 2024
Dan Moskovitz
[FYI request #27335 email]
Dear Dan
Thank you for your Of icial Information Act request, transferred from the office of Hon
Simeon Brown on 17 July 2024. You requested the following:
all official advice from Treasury received by Minister Brown during his term in
office regarding the Interislander ferry service
Information publicly available
The following information is covered by your request and is / will soon be publicly
available on the Treasury website:
Item Date
Document Description
Website Address
1. 29 November Treasury Report T2023/1904:
Official Information Regarding
2023
Project iReX – information and
KiwiRail’s Project iReX - Phase 1 |
upcoming decisions
The Treasury New Zealand
2. 11 December
Cabinet Paper CAB-23-SUB-
Official Information Regarding
2023
0487: Crown support for
KiwiRail’s Project iReX - Phase 1 |
KiwiRail's Project iReX
The Treasury New Zealand
3. 20 December Joint Report T2023/2175: Next
Wil soon be publicly available at:
2023
steps to ensure Cook Strait
Information releases | The
services
Treasury New Zealand
4. 20 December Treasury Report T2023/2191:
Wil soon be publicly available at:
2023
Project iReX – advice from
Information releases | The
AECOM
Treasury New Zealand
5. 20 December Treasury Report T2023/2176:
Wil soon be publicly available at:
2023
KiwiRail – drawdown of funding
Information releases | The
for Project iReX
Treasury New Zealand
6. 31 January
Treasury Report T2024/74:
Wil soon be publicly available at:
2024
Ministerial Advisory Group on
Information releases | The
KiwiRail's Inter-island Ferry
Treasury New Zealand
Service
1 The Terrace
PO Box 3724
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
tel. +64-4-472-2733
https://treasury.govt.nz
Accordingly, I have refused your request for the documents listed in the above table
under section 18(d) of the Official Information Act – the information requested is or will
soon be publicly available.
Some relevant information has been removed from documents listed in the above table
and should continue to be withheld under the Of icial Information Act, on the grounds
described in the documents.
Information to be withheld
The documents listed in the table below and one additional document are covered by
your request. I have decided to withhold these documents in full, and to withhold the
title of the one additional document, under the following sections of the Official
Information Act, as applicable:
•
commercially sensitive information, under section 9(2)(b)(i ) – to protect the
commercial position of the person who supplied the information, or who is the
subject of the information,
•
section 9(2)(ba)(i) – to protect information which is subject to an obligation of
confidence or which any person has been or could be compelled to provide under
the authority of any enactment, where the making available of the information
would be likely to prejudice the supply of similar information, or information from
the same source, and it is in the public interest that such information should
continue to be supplied,
•
advice stil under consideration, section 9(2)(f)(iv) – to maintain the current
constitutional conventions protecting the confidentiality of advice tendered by
Ministers and officials,
•
section 9(2)(h) – to maintain legal professional privilege,
•
section 9(2)(i) – to enable a Minister of the Crown or any public service agency or
organisation holding the information to carry out, without prejudice or
disadvantage, commercial activities, and
•
section 9(2)(j) – to enable a Minister of the Crown or any public service agency or
organisation holding the information to carry on, without prejudice or
disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations).
Item Date
Document Description
Decision
7. 19 April 2024
Treasury Report T2024/1073: Cook
Withhold in full under
Strait ferry services - roadmap for
s9(2)(b)(ii), s9(2)(ba)(i), &
key decisions
s9(2)(f)(iv)
8. 30 January 2024 Treasury Report T2024/94: KiwiRail -
resolving Project iReX obligations
Withhold in full under
s9(2)(b)(ii), s9(2)(ba)(i),
s9(2)(f)(iv), s9(2)(h),
s9(2)(i) & s9(2)(j)
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In making my decision, I have considered the public interest considerations in section
9(1) of the Official Information Act.
Please note that this letter (with your personal details removed) may be published on
the Treasury website.
This reply addresses the information you requested. You have the right to ask the
Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision.
Yours sincerely
Juston Anderson
Acting Manager, Commercial and Institutional Performance
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Document Outline