
3 February 2025
Rodney Parsons
[FYI request #28829 email]
Tēnā koe Rodney
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00074281
Thank you for your emails on 3 and 14 December 2024, asking Health New Zealand | Te Whatu
Ora for the following under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (the Act):
3 December
Let us start this game. I requested that you to provide the numbers behind government
targets. You've declined ostensibly and with discretion because even with charging me, you
think it will be too big. My request was for all of these because in a democratic society,
putting numbers out there is generally backed up by facts rather than speculation. It
appears you aren't willing to provide those willingly, since your team of advisors would have
explained exactly what I'm after.
I'll refer my concerns to the ombudsman but in the interim- seeing as HNZ is still
responding to requests from 2007, where lawful orders have been made which you are
refusing- let's refine the question and develop a paper trail of the lack of good faith and
acting in the spirit of the OIA that your answer demonstrates.
To refine my question, to which of course no doubt you'll elect to restart the clock, please
provide the data for the emergency department target, but relevant subcategories. Please
provide copies of the email trail to my OIA request.
14 December
The data in your publicly published national report, is what we are looking for. You already
have it. Indeed, discussion with multiple teams across the country demonstrate that all of
the data request are immediately available to you.
The shorter ED Stay target, as you say, is built by putting together the country's data. That
what you have published in the performance target action plan, have already provided to
the minister etc. When you break that data into its component pieces (which we have both
seen and worked with the data ourselves, so know exists and is readily available), it breaks
down into categories like regions and hospitals. These reports are already being provided
by HNZ to the regions. All we are asking is that the data underlying that is provided. It's a
small excel file.
If your insistence is that you're not providing that data to the regions and hospitals (which
we know not to be true), provide an explanation of why not. If it's that you're not aware of
that process, given that HNZ is one organisation, provide an explanation of that. If you think
you don't have the data, confirm that you're willing for the ombudsman to fast-track
reviewing why you aren't able to find the data, which would be pretty concerning given that
it's formed one of the current government's key action plans.
Response
Your 14 December email was interpreted as amending your request to:
‘the shorter ED Stay target data, broken down into categories like regions and hospitals’.
We asked you 16 January if you could advise what time period you are requesting this data to
cover. We then followed up with the same question on 24 January, noting that we had not had a
response and that while we appreciate you are under no obligation to amend your request,
requests that are not made with due particularity s12(2) or which require substantial collation s18(f)
may be refused under the Act.
Response
Your request is refused because it has not been made with due particularity s12(2) and as such is
not a request for official information under the Act. We are refusing your request under section
18(g) of the Act on this basis.
How to get in touch
If you do stil wish to make a refined request for this information, you can contact us again at
[email address].If you do stil wish to make a refined request for this information, you
can contact us again a
t [email address].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Danielle Coe
Manager (OIAs) Government Services
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Health NZ, PO Box 793,
Wel ington 6140, New Zealand