22 April 2025
ODT
[FYI request #29650 email]
Tēnā koe
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00075959
Thank you for your email on 28 December 2024, asking Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora for
the following under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):
I have become aware of concerns regarding pecuniary and other conflicts of interest
involving Te Whatu Ora employees and external parties engaged in various capacities on
this project. In light of these concerns, I request the following information:
1. The names of all consultants, subcontractors, and their subsidiaries engaged in any
capacity in relation to the new Dunedin Hospital project.
2. A comprehensive disclosure of any known pecuniary or other conflicts of interest,
whether actual or potential, involving:
- Employees of Te Whatu Ora, particularly within the project management office;
- Consultants, subcontractors, and their subsidiaries involved in the new Dunedin Hospital
project.
3. All records or documentation detailing:
- The processes undertaken to identify, declare, and manage conflicts of interest across all
roles associated with the new Dunedin Hospital project;
- Specific instances where conflicts of interest were identified and the steps taken to
mitigate or address them.
4. Copies of Te Whatu Ora’s policies, frameworks, or guidelines for managing conflicts of
interest in large-scale infrastructure projects such as the new Dunedin Hospital, including
but not limited to guidance on the engagement of consultants and subcontractors.
5. Any correspondence, meeting minutes, internal memos, or investigation reports
pertaining to the identification or management of conflicts of interest within the context of
this project.
This request is not limited to quantity surveying but includes all areas of consultancy and
subcontracting across the project.
Given the critical nature of this project and the public interest in ensuring transparency, I
expect this information to be provided in full and in an accessible, searchable format such
as spreadsheets or documents.
Response
I apologise for the delay in providing our response. The time taken is not what we aspire to. This is
something we are working to get on top of as we deal with a high volume of requests and the
understandably high public interest in our work.
Consultants, subcontractors, and their subsidiaries engaged in any capacity in relation to
the new Dunedin Hospital project
Please find attached, as
Appendix One, an Excel Spreadsheet which outlines all consultants and
subcontractors engaged in any capacity in relation to the new Dunedin Hospital project.
Please note that some companies, such as Holmes NZ LP Limited, appear on both lists as they
are engaged on the new Dunedin Hospital project as both consultant and subcontractor.
The declaration and management of conflicts of interest relating to the new Dunedin
Hospital project
Health NZ takes the identification and management of conflicts of interest very seriously. New
Zealand’s relatively small population and interconnectedness means that individuals often have
multiple roles and interests that can overlap. As such, conflicts of interest - actual, potential or
perceived - are not uncommon, and need to be carefully managed. Health NZ takes a robust and
proactive approach to the management of conflicts of interest to achieve that.
All employees and contractors are asked to declare conflicts on commencement of employment or
engagement. Further, prior to any procurement, conflict forms are issued in order to specifically
protect the procurement process. Our processes ensure that beyond this self-disclosure, actual,
potential or perceived conflicts of interest can be raised by any staff member, contractor or third
party, at any time.
Where an actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest is identified, a conflict management plan
is put in place and regularly reviewed to ensure that it is working, complied with and still needed.
The management plan is signed by both Health NZ and the employee/contractor concerned and
may include removing an individual from relevant decision-making processes where a conflict of
interest has been identified.
Copies of Te Whatu Ora’s policies, frameworks, or guidelines for managing conflicts of
interest in large-scale infrastructure projects such as the new Dunedin Hospital, including
but not limited to guidance on the engagement of consultants and subcontractors.
Copies of Health NZ’s comprehensive policies, frameworks, and guidelines for managing conflicts
of interest, as relevant to large-scale infrastructure projects such as the new Dunedin Hospital, are
attached as
Appendix Two.
Any correspondence, meeting minutes, internal memos, or investigation reports pertaining
to the identification or management of conflicts of interest within the context of this project.
In addition to the documents that are being provided under this response, you have also asked for
information about the identification and management of any specific conflicts of interest in respect
of New Dunedin Hospital. After carefully considering this aspect of your request, I have decided to
withhold that information, under the following sections of the Act:
• Section 9(2)(a) to protect the privacy of the individuals concerned; and
• Section 9(2)(ba)(i) to protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence,
where the making available of the information would be likely to prejudice the supply of
similar information and it is in the public interest that such information should continue to be
supplied.
As required under section 9(1), I have considered the public interest in releasing this information.
However, I do not consider that the public interest considerations favouring release outweigh the
need to protect the interests identified above.
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[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.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Health NZ may proactively
release a copy of this response on our website. All requester data, including your name and
contact details, will be removed prior to release.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Blake Lepper Head of Infrastructure Delivery Infrastructure and Investment Group Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Health NZ, PO Box 793,
Wellington 6140, New Zealand
