1339305 OIA Response.pdf

19/02/2025
Marilyn Hunt
[FYI request #29057 email]
Tēnā koe Marilyn
OIA: 1339305 – Out of Hours Music and Arts programme allocation of hours
Thank you for your email of 4 November 2024 to the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) requesting
the following information:
1.  Correspondence between the Ministry of Education Wellington Regional office and National
Office between January 2021 and October 2024 regarding the correct and incorrect
application of policy in relation to what the total hours allocation covers for Out of Hours
Music Centres. This will include discussion about when it was realised that Wellington and
other regions were calculating administration hours as separate to tutor hours, instead of
including both types of hours as part of the total allocation.
2.  Correspondence and documents from the same time period discussing how any overspend
in relation to code 11240 had been accounted for over the past 10 years.
3.  A copy of the in-depth analysis of the programme budget and wage spend, which revealed
many schools were claiming more hours than they had been allocated.
4.  Correspondence and documents relating to the recent decision to inform Wellington Region
host schools that total hours include both tutor and administration hours, and the approach
to take.
5.  Any briefings to the Minister regarding the above, and the Minister's responses.
Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
There was a historical misunderstanding of allocating hours to Out of Hours Music and Arts
(OOHMA) tutors and all other OOHMA staff, where some schools include only tutors. This was
brought to the Ministry’s attention by a regional manager, who discovered the overspend in one of
the schools. This prompted the Ministry to look at the processes of allocating hours nationally.
The Ministry now has a national budget monitoring process in place, and all schools have been
informed that all OOHMA staff need to be included in the allocation of hours.

Wellington National Office, 1 The Terrace, Levels 5 to 14, Wellington 6011
PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140, DX SR51201 Phone: +64 4 463 8000

In response to part one of your request, I am releasing six email threads in part as Appendix A.
Please note, some out of scope information has been removed and information has been withheld
from these documents under the following sections of the Act:
•  9(2)(a) – to protect the privacy of natural persons
•  9(2)(g)(i) – to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank
expression of opinions by or between or to Ministers of the Crown or members of an
organisation or officers and employees of any public service agency or organisation in the
course of their duty.
In response to part two of your request, I am releasing one document in full and two email threads
in part as Appendix B, with some information withheld under sections 9(2)(a) and 9(2)(g)(i) of the
Act, as above.
In response to part three of your request, I am releasing five analyses of annual overspend from
2019 to 2023 in part, attached as Appendix C. Some information has been withheld under section
9(2)(ba)(ii) of the Act, 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.
Please refer to the attached Appendix D for the information the Ministry holds in scope of part
four of your request. There are six documents in scope, which have been released to you in part,
with some information withheld under sections 9(2)(a), 9(2)(ba)(ii) and 9(2)(g)(i) of the Act, as
above. I am refusing to release one Programme Guide under section 18(d) of the Act, as the
information is publicly available on the Ministry website. A link is provided in the Appendix D
Document Table below.
Please refer to the respective document tables below for an overview of the documents in scope of
your request, along with my decision on their release.
One briefing note was provided to the Minister of Education on this matter. I am refusing part five
of your request under section 18(d) of the Act, as the information is publicly available at:
https://web-assets.education.govt.nz/s3fs-public/2024-
12/1325158%20OOHMA%20budget%20issues%20and%20programme_Redacted.pdf?VersionId=
ITixo0C.Vak7S8kAMMcU6dTjf0m3qf5k.
Regarding the Minister of Education’s response to this advice, this is captured within handwritten
notes in the published briefing. These notes have been withheld under section 9(2)(g)(i) of the Act,
as above. Information has also been withheld from the published version of this document under
section 9(2)(ba)(ii) of the Act, as above.
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.
Please note, we may publish this response on our website after five working days. Your name and
contact details will be removed.
OIA: 1339305

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

Stephanie Ramirez
General Manager, Network and Regulatory
Te Mahau | Te Pae Aronui (Operations and Integration)

OIA: 1339305

Appendix A Document Table
#
Date
From
To
Subject
Decision on release
1
16 Nov
Withheld
Angus
FW: Out of Hours
Release in part.
2021
under
Woodhams
Music Scheme
Information has been
section
withheld under sections
9(2)(a) of
9(2)(a) and 9(2)(g)(i) of
the Act.
the Act.
2
16 Nov
Withheld
Angus
FW: Out of Hours
Release in part.
2021
under
Woodhams
Music Scheme
Information has been
section
withheld under section
9(2)(a) of
9(2)(a) of the Act.
the Act.

Some information has
been redacted as out of
scope.
3
17 Nov
Angus
Rebecca
RE: OOHMA
Release in part.
2021
Woodhams
Meinders-
Information has been
Sykes
withheld under section
9(2)(a) of the Act.
4
17 Nov
Angus
Madisen
RE: Out of Hours
Release in part.
2021
Woodhams
Su’A
Music and Arts
Information has been
Scheme
withheld under sections
9(2)(a) and 9(2)(g)(i) of
the Act.
5
8 Nov
Angus
Nicole
RE: OOHMA
Release in part.
2022
Woodhams
Williams,
funding/allocation
Information has been
Edward
mechanism
withheld under section
Gilbertons
9(2)(a) of the Act.
6
12 Jun
Schools AK
Employment
FW: OOHMA –
Release in part.
2023
Contracting
Relations
Coordinator Hours
Information has been
Inclusive &
withheld under sections
Application
9(2)(a) and 9(2)(g)(i) of
Increase. Herenga  the Act.
Waka

Some information has
been redacted as out of
scope.

OIA: 1339305

Appendix B Document Table
#
Date
From
To
Subject
Decision on release
1
12 Jan
Enid Liew
Angus Woodhams;
RE: OOHMA
Release in part.
2022
Edward Gilbertson;  wages budget
Information has been
Jared Hutchins;
withheld under sections
name withheld
9(2)(a) and 9(2)(g)(i) of
under section
the Act.
9(2)(a) of the Act.
2
25 May  Tejal Patel  Angus Woodhams;
RE: (2nd
Release in part.
2023
Morag Allan; Ken
RESPONSE) RE:
Information has been
Maher; Nicole
Bargaining
withheld under section
Williams; Belen
OOHMA/ ACE
9(2)(a) of the Act.
Ortega; Mark
request
Swinbank
3

Suggested OOHMA comms
Release in full

Appendix C Document Table
#
Date
Subject
Decision on release
1
2019
OOHMA Overspend Schools
Release in part. Information has been withheld
under section 9(2)(ba)(ii) of the Act.
2
2020
OOHMA Overspend Schools
Release in part. Information has been withheld
under section 9(2)(ba)(ii) of the Act.
3
2021
OOHMA Overspend Schools
Release in part. Information has been withheld
under section 9(2)(ba)(ii) of the Act.
4
2022
OOHMA Overspend Schools
Release in part. Information has been withheld
under section 9(2)(ba)(ii) of the Act.
5
2023
OOHMA Overspend Schools
Release in part. Information has been withheld
under section 9(2)(ba)(ii) of the Act.

Appendix D Document Table
#
Date
From
To
Subject
Decision on release
1
26 Jan
Angus
Mata Gilbert
RE: Second
Release in part. Information
2022
Woodhams
complaint letter
has been withheld under
OIA: 1339305

about the
sections 9(2)(a) and 9(2)(g)(i)
reduction
of the Act.
2
27 Apr
Angus
Mata Gilbert
RE: OOHMA
Release in part. Information
2022
Woodhams
Service Guide
has been withheld under
section 9(2)(a) of the Act.
3
16 Sep
Angus
Mata Gilbert
RE: [9(2)(ba)(ii)]
Release in part. Information
2022
Woodhams
hours for 2023
has been withheld under
section 9(2)(ba)(ii) of the Act.

Some information has been
redacted as out of scope.
4
6 Sep
Angus
Ministry of
OOHMA
Release in part. Information
2023
Woodhams
Education
Guidance
has been withheld under
officials
section 9(2)(a) of the Act.
4a
Attachment: Out of Music and Art Programme Guide.pdf
Refused under section 18(d)
of the Act. Information is
publicly available at the
following link:

https://web-
assets.education.govt.nz/s3fs-
public/2024-08/Out-of-Hours-
Music-and-Art-Programme-
Guide.pdf?VersionId=ZcMyUG
aAPgsaD65C5_S9VWSYY93
migyT
5
27 Aug
Angus
Ministry
RE: OOHMA
Release in part. Information
2024
Woodhams
officials
school
has been withheld under
overspends
sections 9(2)(a) and 9(2)(g)(i)
of the Act.
6
4 Sep
Angus
Ministry

Release in part. Information
2024
Woodhams
officials
has been withheld under
sections 9(2)(a) of the Act.

OIA: 1339305