3 September 2024
Mr French
Sent by email: [FYI request #27566 email]
Dear Mr French,
Official Information Act Request
We refer to your official information request dated 15 August 2024 for the following
information:
Dear Naoka Iwase
Thank you for your response to my OIA request.
Airways NZ "provides air traffic management services" - as stated here:
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.airways.co.nz%2F
about%2Four-
business%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cnaoka.iwase%40airways.co.nz%7C9d7fe3041f5c43973a180
8dcbd0224b6%7C6534ab2d368340128c1db14ddef1f700%7C0%7C0%7C638593065840834188
%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haW
wiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Rkld1GTSClxsInm8Afp7NQavxyH%2BuG
NMoVMQ6QFUGUs%3D&reserved=0. My OIA request asked for "all the information that you
hold on a circular flight over Oamaru / coastal North Otago recorded on 19 March 2024 at
9:30am". Therefore, please respond to the following questions and requests.
Preamble:
If you view the entire 6 minutes and 50 seconds of the video link provided in my original
request, you will notice that the plane appears to be heading in an approximate southerly
direction then changes direction to the north (this can also be seen in two further videos -
see Dropbox links below). You state that the plane is an Air New Zealand flight ANZ671
which departed Auckland Airport and landed at Dunedin Airport. As such it is "supposed to
be" heading south to an airport that is south 128 km (by road) away.
Questions and requests:
- Why the loop?
- Why loop at that particular Oamaru/coastal North Otago location?
- What did your "air traffic management service" advise the pilot to do at that location,
and why?
- Please provide an audio recording or unredacted transcript of the exchange between
air traffic control and the pilot concerning the loop recorded in my video footage.
- Please advise the time of departure from Auckland Airport and time of arrival at
Dunedin Airport.
Video links:
AIRWAYS.CO.NZ
PO BOX 1413, CHRISTCHURCH AIRPORT CHRISTCHURCH 8544, NEW ZEALAND
PHONE +64 3 358 1500
Footage originally provided:
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dropbox.com%2F
scl%2Ffi%2Fer6l4kkc3gv1mfn1mvrlv%2FVID_20240319_093622.mp4%3Frlkey%3Dny9b36z44
mibp5db4pi0zwage%26st%3Do9og1a9m%26dl%3D0&data=05%7C02%7Cnaoka.iwase%40a
irways.co.nz%7C9d7fe3041f5c43973a1808dcbd0224b6%7C6534ab2d368340128c1db14ddef1f7
00%7C0%7C0%7C638593065840843848%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLj
AwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdat
a=gaVDbsmJzCTKO%2BXOdfwh2KeBd%2BXCN2EXF3Wq9rmLZUg%3D&reserved=0
Additional footage:
(1)
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dropbox.com%2F
scl%2Ffi%2Fjh8a44ib80m02kikif6te%2FVID_20240319_093341.mp4%3Frlkey%3Djxbzu2jh37ei
zx2yhqmhdmp9t%26st%3D5zyjvicx%26dl%3D0&data=05%7C02%7Cnaoka.iwase%40airway
s.co.nz%7C9d7fe3041f5c43973a1808dcbd0224b6%7C6534ab2d368340128c1db14ddef1f700%7
C0%7C0%7C638593065840850191%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMD
AiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=G%2
B3P2GqVb47PKtTEqrYD6EFUPFsyjR2cyQmQ%2B3SCJCQ%3D&reserved=0
(2)
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dropbox.com%2F
scl%2Ffi%2Ftznm2tmferpnh6miv29v6%2FVID_20240319_093459.mp4%3Frlkey%3Dr20w8eey
j5nxk5d35tkeblotv%26st%3Dnrowgirv%26dl%3D0&data=05%7C02%7Cnaoka.iwase%40airw
ays.co.nz%7C9d7fe3041f5c43973a1808dcbd0224b6%7C6534ab2d368340128c1db14ddef1f700
%7C0%7C0%7C638593065840856752%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAw
MDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3
6PPWS50YW6%2BuIjImhmizboXibxCvch4KaGNT0du%2FYc%3D&reserved=0
Yours sincerely,
Mr French
Unfortunately, we do not hold the information requested in questions 1 to 4, and we are
unable to identify any other agency that might have it. Therefore, we are refusing your
request under section 18(g) of the OIA as the information is not held by us.
Regarding your final question, we were able to obtain the details from FlightRadar24. The
aircraft’s departure time from Auckland Airport was 18:50 UTC, and its arrival time at
Dunedin Airport was 21:06 UTC. For your information, we retain screen replays for only 2
months and tower audio for 4 months (except for Christchurch and Auckland towers which
retain audio for 3 months).
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this response.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz
or freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Naoka Iwase
Legal Counsel/OIA Advisor
