OIA24 493 documents for release redacted.pdf

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Document 1
4 September 2024
OC241012
Hon Simeon Brown
Action required by:
Minister of Transport
Monday, 9 September 2024 1982
NEW ZEALAND TRANSPORT AGENCY: MONITORING PLAN ACT
Purpose
To seek your agreement to a draft monitoring plan for the New Zealand Transport Agency
(NZTA) – refer to Appendix One.
Key points
INFORMATION
•
The Ministry of Transport is developing monitoring plans for each transport Crown
entity you have responsibility for. You received the first of these monitoring plans – for
the Civil Aviation Authority – last week (OC240957 refers).
•
The purpose of the NZTA monitoring plan is to:
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o Agree monitoring priorities for the next 36 months to June 2027, to support
improved NZTA performance
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o Develop a shared understanding of NZTA’s current performance, and what
‘good’ looks like
o Confirm our monitoring deliverables/outputs for NZTA.
•
The Plan provides an as
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performance dimensions from the Public Service Commission’s “The Foundations of
Good Practice: Guidelines for Crown Entity Monitoring”1.
•
The Plan identifies six key monitoring priorities:
o Support improvements to the quality and timeliness of performance
information (including updated strategic outcomes in NZTA’s Statement of
RELEASED Intent, monthly reporting on 2024 GPS and enhanced quarterly reporting)
o Establish a stronger relationship with the refreshed board (including
supporting you to have structured quarterly performance conversations with
the Board Chair)
1 https://www.publicservice.govt.nz/assets/DirectoryFile/Guidelines-for-Crown-Entity-monitoring.pdf
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Document 2
25 September 2024
OC241127
Hon Simeon Brown
Action required by:
Minister of Transport
Friday, 27 September 2024 1982
AVIATION ON-TIME PERFORMANCE REPORT
ACT
Purpose
To seek your approval to publish the attached aviation on-time performance report for July
and August 2024.
Key points
• Consistent with the revised scope agreed with you last week, this report covers:
INFORMATION
o
domestic jet services between Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin
and Queenstown
o
Air New Zealand and Jetstar
o
routes that are serviced by both airlines.
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• The Ministry will expand the scope over coming months to include international and
regional routes. We will need to continue to work with the airlines on this given their
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strong interest in the underlying data.
• The Ministry has modelled this report on Australian on-time performance reporting by the
Australian Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE).
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• The airlines provided the data for this report. They have seen a draft of the report and are
comfortable with the approach we have taken. Despite this, there is some risk that they
could be dissatisfied with media coverage on the report.
• The report notes the main factors that affected on-time performance in July and August,
which included bad weather and the CrowdStrike IT outage. Safety will always take
priority over timeliness.
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MEETING WITH THE NEW ZEALAND AIRPORTS ASSOCIATION
Key points
• Many aviation participants are concerned about upcoming increases in government fees
and charges affecting the sector, which they expect will have a negative impact on
passenger numbers and New Zealand's tourism recovery.
• NZ Airports is concerned about the challenges associated with regional connectivity in
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New Zealand. NZ Airport’s long held view is that the government should provide bespoke
funding to promote wider regional air connectivity. The Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF)
offers a potential source of support in this area.
ACT
• You wil  be speaking at the NZ Airports Hui 2024 on 12 November 2024. The Hui will give
you the opportunity to signal your priorities for the civil aviation sector.
Many aviation participants are concerned about upcoming increases to fees, charges and
levies
1
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is carrying out consultation on pricing options to
meet its forecast funding shortfall, replenish reserves, and return to sustainability. A
range of government agencies have also recently signalled upcoming increases to
INFORMATION
other fees and charges, such as border processing levies, the International Visitor
Conservation and Tourism Levy, and immigration visa fees.
2
Many aviation participants, including airports, are concerned about the cumulative
effect these increases may have on passenger numbers and the competitiveness of
New Zealand as a tourist destination.
OFFICIAL
3
You have emphasised to the CAA that increases to fees, levies, and charges must be
proportionate and reasonable, and deliver tangible results for both the sector and
passengers. Bil ie Moore has signalled she would like to discuss with you how NZ
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Airports can help to support the achievement of these objectives.
Consultation is under way on alternative delivery arrangements for aviation security services
4
On 27 August 2024, we released a discussion document to a targeted group of
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stakeholders, including NZ Airports, seeking feedback on options to increase flexibility
in the delivery of aviation security services. The document sets out options for
outsourcing aviation security services to airlines and airports. The purpose of the
consultation is to gauge the interest of airports and/or airlines to deliver specific
aviation security services at airports.
5
The consultation closes on 22 October 2024. The feedback received wil  help
determine the next steps for this work. We understand that NZ Airports is working
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with individual airports to develop a submission.
There are currently risks to regional air connectivity
6
NZ Airports are concerned about the current challenges and uncertainty faced by
regional airports. They believe that the challenges identified in their 2017 publication,
“Linking the long white cloud” have if anything intensified since then, and that the
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Biography
Bil ie Moore, Chief Executive
Billie has been Chief Executive since December 2022. She has
extensive government and stakeholder management experience.
Billie is a former diplomat and served as New Zealand’s Consul-
General to New South Wales and Queensland for four years. She
returned to Wellington in 2019 to lead government relations for
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Tourism New Zealand, including joining its executive team during the
response to Covid-19.
Prior to her current role, Billie was chief adviser at the Ministry for
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the Environment, working with the chief executive and executive
team across the Ministry’s engagement and key relationships.
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Annex 1: Talking Points
MEETING WITH THE NEW ZEALAND AIRPORTS ASSOCIATION
Government fees and charges
• I’m aware that some aviation participants are concerned about how the fees and levy
increases planned by several government agencies, including the Civil Aviation Authority
(CAA), will affect the sector.
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• I’ve been clear to the CAA that increases to fees, charges and levies must be
proportionate and reasonable, and deliver tangible results for both the sector andACT
passengers. I strongly encourage you to participate in the CAA’s consultation process.
Regional connectivity
• I understand the significant challenges being experienced by some regional airports. The
Regional Infrastructure Fund may offer an avenue of support to address regional
connectivity issues in some cases.
• What solutions do you see to help address regional connectivity issues?
INFORMATION
Consultation on alternative delivery arrangements for aviation security services
• What are your views on the options for outsourcing aviation security services to the
airlines and airports presented in the Ministry of Transport’s consultation document?
Transparency on airfares and airline performance
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• The Ministry of Transport has begun to produce monthly on-time performance reports for
airlines, reflecting my commitment to improving transparency and performance reporting.
The reports wil give both the sector and New Zealanders a clear picture of how our
THE
aviation services are performing.
• I’ve asked officials to also explore options to report publicly on airfares. This would further
enhance transparency, empower consumers with information to make informed
decisions, and encourage greater competition within the market.
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NZ Airports Hui on 11-14 November 2024
• Thank you for inviting me to participate in the Hui. I note the theme is ‘Stronger Network –
Better New Zealand’. What are your main priorities for this event?
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Biographies
Cath O’Brien, Executive Director of Board of Airline
Representatives NZ
Cath O’Brien, leader of BARNZ, is a strong advocate for aviation
recovery in New Zealand. With a background in aviation and energy
regulation, she effectively represents BARNZ members, particularly on
airport pricing. Before joining BARNZ in 2022, she was Head of
Regulatory Affairs at Air New Zealand, working on sustainable aviation 1982
and Covid-19 response. She holds a Masters in Art History and has
studied at the London School of Economics (LSE) and Harvard.
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UNCLASSIFIED
Annex 1: Talking Points
MEETING WITH BOARD OF AIRLINE REPRESENTATIVES NEW
ZEALAND
Auckland Airport Pricing
•  Once the Commission makes its final determination the Minister of Commerce will decide
on the next steps regarding the regulatory settings for aviation.
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Mānawa Bay Shopping Centre
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•  NZTA is working closely with the airport to minimise traffic delays. Future planning is also
underway for key high-demand shopping days.
On-time performance reporting
•  I am committed to improving transparency and performance reporting.
•  I want to make it very clear that this reporting is not intended to undermine the industry’s
commitment to making safety its first priority.
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Ohakea Airport
•  Are there other solutions you have explored with Airways outside the current proposals?
Border Levy Increases
•  This Government is committed to delivering better results and improved public services
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for New Zealanders while managing within tight fiscal constraints. Value for money
delivery of services and fiscal sustainability expectations apply to all public services,
including those that are funded through third party fees, charges and levies.
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