27 November 2024
C186823
K. Priestly
[FYI request #28316 email] Tēnā koe
Thank you for your email of 6 September 2024 to the Department of Corrections – Ara
Poutama Aotearoa, requesting information about Honeywell. Your request has been
considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA).
You requested:
1. Contracts and Agreements (2018 - Present): Copies of any contracts or agreements
between the Department of Corrections and Honeywell Ltd. that specifically relate to
the maintenance of electronic security systems in New Zealand prisons.
Corrections has one contract with Honeywell for the support of electronic security systems,
which has been in place since 2003. Variations to this agreement were executed in
subsequent years to reflect improvements in the delivery of these services. While the
contract with Honeywell commenced prior to the timeframe noted in your request, it is still
in place, and we have therefore considered it to be in scope of this part of your request.
In late 2023, Corrections released a tender to the open market via the Government
Electronic Tendering System (GETS) for Electronic Security and Associated Services (ESAS) in
New Zealand prisons. Responses have been recently evaluated which have resulted in
Corrections developing three preferred providers for these services, where previously
Honeywell was the sole provider:
1 – Projects: A panel has been created comprising of Beca and Honeywell.
2 – Service and Maintenance: The preferred supplier is Aotea Security New Zealand
Limited.
Contract negotiations have commenced, and we expect new contracts to be in place in early
2025.
Releasing Corrections’ contract with Honeywell could compromise our ability to further
contract with and negotiate terms with Honeywell and other external providers who may
provide similar services to develop and deliver electronic security services in New Zealand
prisons.
NATIONAL OFFICE, WELLINGTON
Mayfair House, 44 – 52 The Terrace, Wellington, 6011, Private Box 1206, Wellington 6140,
Phone +64 4 460 3000
www.corrections.govt.nz
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We are therefore withholding this document in full under the following sections of the OIA:
• 9(2)(b)(ii) of the OIA, as making the contract available would be likely unreasonably
to prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied or who is the
subject of the information.
• 9(2)(i), as the withholding of the information is necessary to enable Corrections to
carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities.
• 9(2)(j), to enable the agency or organisation holding the information to carry on,
without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and
industrial negotiations).
In accordance with section 9(1) of the OIA, we have considered countervailing public
interest relating to the release of the information, including transparency, participation, and
accountability. We are satisfied that in this case, public interest considerations do not
outweigh the withholding reasons outlined above.
2. Communications Regarding AI (2022 - Present): Any communications (emails,
meeting minutes, reports) between the Department of Corrections and Honeywell
Ltd. from January 2022 onwards that specifically mention the use of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) or advanced surveillance technologies within the electronic security
systems of New Zealand prisons.
Given the wide scope of your request and the time period covered, we have conducted a
search of our email system to find emails which mention artificial intelligence (AI) between 1
January 2022 to 6 September 2024. Our initial search identified over 8,000 emails possibly in
scope of your request. We ran further searches broken down by quarterly date ranges, with
the keywords AI and/or Honeywell, however these searches still identified around 2,000
emails each.
While it is likely that much of this information will not actually be relevant to your request,
the information would need to be manually reviewed to determine what is in scope of your
request and any information we would need to withhold under the provisions of the OIA.
Therefore, this part of your request is refused under section 18(f) of the OIA, as the
information cannot be made available without substantial collation or research.
In accordance with sections 18A and 18B of the OIA, we have considered whether fixing a
charge, extending the time limit or asking you to refine or amend your request would
enable us to provide a response. However, given the scale of the request, we do not
consider this would be an appropriate use of our publicly funded resources.
Should you wish to resubmit an OIA with different parameters, such as limiting your request
to a condensed time period, we will be willing to assist you to the best of our ability.
As mentioned in a response to you dated 4 September 2024 (reference C185717),
Corrections is continuously looking at new technologies and how they could help us to keep
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prisons safe and secure. AI is not currently being used in any way across our electronic
security systems, including services provided by Honeywell.
3. Risk Assessments for Waikeria Prison (2021 - Present): Copies of any risk
assessments or evaluations conducted by or for the Department of Corrections that
mention or analyse Honeywell’s involvement in the implementation of security
systems at Waikeria Prison since 2021.
Honeywell provides building management systems to Waikeria Prison as a subcontractor to
the Waikeria Public Private Partnership (PPP) consortium Cornerstone Infrastructure
Partners. The Waikeria PPP was executed in September 2018 and the design was
substantially completed by 2020.
Accordingly, this part of your request is refused under section 18(e) of the OIA, as the
information requested does not exist.
In accordance with section 18B of the OIA we have considered and do not believe that
consulting with you would enable the request to be granted, as the request is specific, but
the information does not exist.
Please note that this response may be published on Corrections’ website. Typically,
responses are published quarterly or as otherwise determined. Your personal information
including name and contact details will be removed for publication.
I hope this information is helpful. I encourage you to raise any concerns about this response
with Corrections. Alternatively, you are advised of your right to raise any concerns with the
Office of the Ombudsman. Contact details are: Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152,
Wellington 6143.
Ngā mihi
Alastair Turrell
Deputy Chief Executive
Infrastructure and Digital Assets
