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  • Request for DHB draft annual plan

    Case notes
    District Health Board—draft annual plan—need for Board and Minister of Health to reach agreement on plan prior to release—New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000
  • Request to the Treasury for information relating to work on social assistance policy

    Case notes
    Request to the Treasury for information relating to work on social assistance policy—information withheld under s 9(2)(f)(iv)—information directly connected to advice to be ‘tendered’ to Ministers—release would disrupt the ability of the Minister to consider Ministry’s advice—public interest did not outweigh need to withhold
  • Request for hydrological data

    Case notes
    Request for hydrological data—supplier of information to local authority opposed to release to the requester—prejudice to future supply
  • Department of Corrections failed to meet requirements before placing inmate in restrictive regime

    Case notes
    Department of Corrections placement of inmate on restrictive regime designed for the most disruptive inmates unreasonable because criteria for placement not met—placement deemed unreasonable—inmate immediately returned to mainstream
  • Department of Corrections applies prison visiting rules too rigidly

    Case notes
    Special family visit to inmate denied—decision contrary to Department's national standard—prison agreed to review its local instructions to ensure consistency with spirit and intent of national standard
  • Department of Corrections delays prisoner release when segregation order expired

    Case notes
    Delayed release from ‘precautionary segregation’—complaint upheld—implementation of computerised bring-up system to avoid recurrence of problem—no recommendation necessary
  • Request for risk management plans relating to establishment of District Health Boards

    Case notes
    Request for risk management plans relating to establishment of District Health Boards—information withheld in reliance upon s 9(2)(f)(iv)—public interest in release of information in summary form
  • Request for advice provided to government regarding the pre-funding of superannuation

    Case notes
    Information withheld to protect confidentiality of advice—account taken of changed political environment since the advent of MMP—early release of papers prior to consultation with coalition partner could undermine constitutional convention
  • Department of Corrections required to review process for media contact with inmates

    Case notes
    Access to prison inmates by the news media—conflict between procedural manual and communications policy—policy to be reviewed to ensure consistency with procedures
  • Department of Corrections protocol with Ombudsman regarding death in custody

    Case notes
    Death in custody—application of Protocol between Department of Corrections and Office of the Ombudsmen—issues arising from monitoring departmental investigation—need for improved communication, videotaping, fire safety and emergency procedures
  • Request for communications between Minister of SOEs and other parties in respect of policy announcement about TVNZ

    Case notes
    Request for communications between Minister of SOEs and other parties in respect of policy announcement about TVNZ—information at issue comprised oral communications with Cabinet colleagues preceding policy announcement—withholding necessary to protect constitutional convention protecting collective and individual ministerial responsibility
  • Request for Defence Force National Real Estate Review

    Case notes
    Request for Defence Force National Real Estate Review—information withheld on basis of need to protect confidentiality of advice—report prepared by external consultants and submitted to Minister—information not advice tendered by officials—recommendation that report be released—report released with contextual statement
  • Request for details of compensation for breach of privacy

    Case notes
    Request for details of compensation for breach of privacy—obligation of confidence—interest in withholding not outweighed by public interest considerations
  • Request for review report prepared for tertiary institution

    Case notes
    Request for review report prepared for tertiary institution—information refused in order to protect privacy, obligation of confidence, and free and frank expression of opinion—consideration of University’s enforcement of an obligation of confidentiality upon itself—reasoned and well informed comment does not constitute free and frank expression of opinion—Act does not provide for class approach to documents—individual privacy not at issue
  • Request for report of interviews

    Case notes
    Request for report of interviews—interviews conducted subject to obligation of confidence except to extent information provided might be used for prosecution purposes—report not admissible in evidence—public interest in contents met by details disclosed in public trial
  • Request for Consultative Draft District Plan

    Case notes
    Consultative Draft District Plan refused under s 7(2)(f)(i)—information did not meet requirements of that section—no statutory prohibition in Resource Management Act which prevents information being made available before the date of notification—Resource Management Act 1991, s 35(2)
  • Department of Corrections reasonably held inmate in segregation

    Case notes
    Unreasonable placement of inmate on precautionary segregation—written material found in his cell which reflected on the safety of prison staff—placement not deemed unreasonable
  • New Zealand Customs Service questioned over acceptance of deposit pursuant to legislation

    Case notes
    Refusal to pay interest following resolution of dispute over Customs value of goods—whether relevant documentation provided at the time of importation—whether s 140 of the Customs Act 1966 (repealed) conferred authority on Department to take deposit—investigation discontinued following discovery that company did not exist as legal entity at the time complaint was made
  • Department of Corrections should explain reasons for declining application to be excused from PD reporting

    Case notes
    Refusal of application to be excused from reporting for periodic detention—incomplete explanation given at the time—reasons and apology provided—Criminal Justice Act 1985, s 41(3)
  • Department of Corrections required to advise decision on day parole application

    Case notes
    Failure to advise inmate of decision on application for day parole—prison administration expected inmate to ask Case officer for outcome—responsibility for advising the outcome of a request/application normally rests with decision-maker—internal procedures changed to reflect normal practice
  • Request for details of risk management processes

    Case notes
    Request for details of risk management processes—relevant documents provided apart from the ‘risk register’—register consisted of free and frank expressions of opinion—release might undermine risk management strategy—public interest met by release of Risk Management Policy
  • Request for full internal report of health care

    Case notes
    Requests for full internal report by a Crown Health Enterprise following public tragedy—contents included personal health information conveyed in confidence, interviews with CHE staff and other individuals, peer review, conclusions and recommendations—confidentiality of personal health information—‘doctor/patient’ relationship—protection of free and frank opinions—some information released, some withheld—competing public interest considerations—accountability for public health care
  • Request for information about governmental lending programme

    Case notes
    Request for information about Low Deposit Rural Lending Programme—request refused—factual information released—some information withheld to protect orderly process of government and commercial interests
  • Request for report on conservation values of West Coast forests

    Case notes
    Request for report on conservation values of West Coast forests managed by Timberlands West Coast Ltd—request refused—factual information released—balance struck between public interest in withholding advice to Minister and countervailing public interest in public being adequately informed of issues
  • Request for advice on bulk funding of schools

    Case notes
    Request to Minister of Education for advice on bulk funding of schools—information withheld on grounds of confidentiality of advice, free and frank opinions, and prejudice to negotiations—release of information likely to create uncertainty and affect adversely subsequent public debate on options
  • Request for information relating to industrial relations section of coalition agreement

    Case notes
    Request for information relating to the implementation of clauses in the industrial relations section of the coalition agreement—information withheld to protect confidentiality of advice and free and frank opinion—account taken of changed political environment with the advent of MMP and formation of coalition—release of early papers prior to consultation with coalition partner could undermine constitutional convention
  • Department of Conservation resolves impasse concerning ivory-key piano held by New Zealand Customs

    Case notes
    Refusal to release piano imported from United Kingdom—family heirloom from 1920s—need for approval of Department of Conservation under CITES because of ivory content—conflict between New Zealand legislation implementing CITES and European Community Regulations—impasse resolved by acceptance of statutory declaration by family—conflict to be raised with CITES Secretariat
  • Department of Corrections accepts obligation to consider inmates’ circumstances when deciding work and educational paroles

    Case notes
    Refusal of work and educational paroles before inmate appeared before National Parole Board—inflexible policy inconsistent with concept of individual case management—review resulted in detailed case management plan for inmate
  • Request for information relating to changes in Training Incentives Allowance

    Case notes
    Request for information relating to changes in Training Incentives Allowance—information withheld under ss 9(2)(f)(iv) and 9(2)(g)(i)—discussion of principles—good reason under section 9(2)(f)(iv) to withhold the advice on the options under consideration but not the options themselves
  • Request for research data held by Crown Research Institute

    Case notes
    Research data subject to clear confidentiality assurances—some farmers would be reluctant to participate in similar trials if released—s 9(2)(ba)(i) applies
  • Request for list of all strategic goods exported from New Zealand

    Case notes
    Request for list of all strategic goods exported from New Zealand—some information provided but name of exporter and value before tax of strategic goods withheld—9(2)(ba)(i) applied—residual issue of public accountability resolved following inquiries under s 13(3) of the Ombudsmen Act 1975—MFAT agreed that in future, it would disclose in its annual report the statistics it had previously made available only on request
  • Request for details of out-of-court settlements and costs

    Case notes
    Request for details of out-of-court settlements and costs—ss 9(2)(ba)(ii) and 9(2)(j) found to apply—no countervailing public interest