22/10/2024
John Wilson
[FYI request #28070 email]
Tēnā koe John
OIA: 1336750 – Charter school applications and assessment reports
Thank you for your follow up email of 24 September 2024 to the Charter School Agency (the CSA)
requesting the following information:
I want to update my request to include the release of all applications for charter schools.
Your earlier response indicated that the "public interest wil be met by the proactive release
of information" sometime in October. Please provide a specific timeline for when this
information wil be available.
Additionally, I would like to request any assessment reports related to the applicants.
Your request has been considered under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (the Act).
As set out in my response to your previous request, reference number 1334321, confidentiality for
applicants is imperative to the independence and credibility of the charter school selection process.
I am refusing your request for all charter school applications under section 18(a) of the Act, since,
by virtue of section 9(2)(ba)(i ) of the Act, there is good reason to withhold the information to
protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence, where the making available of
the information would be likely otherwise to damage the public interest.
As required under section 9(1) of the Act, I have considered the public interest in releasing the
information withheld. I do not consider the public interest considerations favouring the release of
this information are sufficient to outweigh the need to withhold it at this time.
I am refusing your request for applicant assessment reports under section 18(e) of the Act, as the
information requested does not exist. Once the Authorisation Board meets to make decisions on
applications this month, all applicants will receive a communication, which will include feedback,
along with the decision made on their application. This information is confidential between the
Authorisation Board, CSA and applicants.
Charter School Agency, 1 The Terrace, Mezzanine floor, Wellington 6011
PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140 Phone: +64 4 463 8000 Fax: +64 4 463 8001
charterschools.govt.nz
Successful applicants wil then move into contract negotiations with the CSA. In response to your
question about when information regarding successful applicants wil be proactively released, we
expect to begin announcing new charter schools in November.
If the Authorisation Board decides to give conditional approval to state schools to convert to charter
schools, the Board will be required to consult with the school board, staf , students and community
to ascertain the level of support for the proposed conversion, before they enter contract
negotiations.
Thank you again for your email. You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to review my decision
on your request, in accordance with section 28 of the Act. You can do this by writing to
[email address] or to Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.
Nāku noa, nā
Jane Lee
Chief Executive
Charter School Agency
OIA: 1336750
charterschools.govt.nz
