5 December 2024
D Watson
By email
to: [FYI request #28870 email]
Dear D Watson
OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACT REQUEST 2024/66 – Follow up
On Tuesday, 19 November you requested some follow up information regarding OIA Response
2024/66. You requested:
It seems that these have been in draft for a long, long time, these were referenced in OIAs from
more than a year ago, since the election . When do you expect these to be available and
whenever that is can you send them by adding them in a reply to this OIA on fyi.org.nz?
These are not the only documents that have eluded the public. The content in draft or otherwise
is neither here nor there, it are just another example of a continued resistance to responding
appropriately to OIA requests, in my opinion.
How much other official information is being withheld due to the spurious 'draft status' rationale.
Can you answer that.
There has also being attempts to say that documents were "internal". I have never heard of such
a thing, it seems to be code for "we said they exist but the actually don't".
It has typically taken the electoral commission an exorbitant amount of time to provide proper
responses to offical information act requests, often requiring further clarifications and more
specific questions and generally being obstructive.
Thank you for your further questions.
The Board will be developing further audit plans but at this stage these are the only audits that are
proposed.
The Commission has at all times been committed to making the reports available to you as soon as
reasonably practicable and providing assistance to you and following the requirements of the Official
Information Act. In the response letter to you, dated 5 November 2024, we confirmed that we would
notify you and make reports available to you as soon as the active development and refinement
stages are complete, which we anticipate will take a few more weeks. We will, as requested,
respond to your OIA requests via fyi.org.nz.
Electoral Commission
Level 4, 34-42 Manners Street, PO Box 3220, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Telephone +64 4 495 0030 Fax +64 4 495 0031
www.vote.nz | www.elections.nz
You have the right under section 28(3) of the Act to make a complaint to the Ombudsman if you are
not satisfied with the response to your request. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Karl Le Quesne
Chief Electoral Officer
Electoral Commission
Level 4, 34-42 Manners Street, PO Box 3220, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Telephone +64 4 495 0030 Fax +64 4 495 0031
www.vote.nz | www.elections.nz
