Dear Department of Corrections,

Tēnā koutou,

I am requesting the following information under the Official Information Act 1982. I am particularly interested in how the Victim Notification Register (VNR) process may impact whānau who are not listed on the register but who may be indirectly affected.

Please provide detailed responses to the following:

1. What specific information is shared through the Victim Notification Register (VNR) in relation to a person?
2. Are family members or partners of the name individual person notified if their information is collected, used, or disclosed through VNR-related procedures?
If not, please explain why not — and if so, what is shared?
3. Are individuals outside the VNR ever notified (or given the right to be notified) when their personal details may be referred to, mentioned, or included as part of VNR-related updates or assessments?
(e.g. names of whānau, addresses, contact details, known associations or relationships.)
4. What protections exist for family/whānau of a remand or pre-conviction prisoner to ensure that their personal information is not shared via the VNR without their knowledge or consent?
Please explain how Corrections ensures compliance with the Privacy Act in these scenarios.
5. Who is VNR-related information allowed to be shared with, and what accountability is in place if this information is disclosed to unauthorised parties?
Is there any legal framework or official policy that justifies the disclosure of this information outside of the direct involvement with the VNR?
6.What is the threshold Corrections requires to allow a named and authorised person to access another individual’s file — when written authority has been granted?
Please explain what internal process is followed once an "Authority to Act" is received, and on what legal or policy basis access may still be denied.
7. If Corrections staff are stating that they are “unaware” of the Authority to Advocate Complaint form — when this form is publicly available on the Corrections website.
Is staff training provided on this process, and if so, how is this monitored for consistency across regions and facilities?

Please treat this as an Official Information Act request. I am aware this response will be publicly published on the FYI.org.nz platform and support this in the interest of public transparency and accountability.

Yours faithfully,
TEATAWHAI YOUNG