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The Star: June 01, 2017

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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi<br />

Thursday <strong>June</strong> 1 2<strong>01</strong>7 7<br />

of Official Information Act<br />

In response, Judge Boshier<br />

said: “I am heartened by your<br />

interest in this area.” While he<br />

added that he would “greatly<br />

appreciate the opportunity to<br />

discuss this with you in person”,<br />

none of the information Mr<br />

Brownlee sought was supplied.<br />

Instead, Judge Boshier and Mr<br />

Brownlee met on September 8 in<br />

a conversation that left the Chief<br />

Ombudsman with a feeling of<br />

“unease”.<br />

<strong>The</strong> comment is revealed in an<br />

email from Judge Boshier to Andrew<br />

Kibblewhite, chief executive<br />

of the Department of Prime<br />

Minister and Cabinet, who had a<br />

staff member at the meeting.<br />

Judge Boshier wrote: “Unless<br />

I am mistaken, there is a<br />

perception that our Office wants<br />

everything released. <strong>The</strong> Minister<br />

approached this meeting in<br />

quite a businesslike fashion, and<br />

I think the reason for that was<br />

a genuine perception that the<br />

rules have changed and that we<br />

are pushing for a wider range of<br />

ministerial advice and briefings<br />

to be released.<br />

“I am genuinely worried about<br />

this perception.”<br />

He told Mr Kibblewhite he<br />

hoped the briefing he got from<br />

his staffer showed “the rules have<br />

not changed at all”.<br />

Judge Boshier took over the<br />

role in December 2<strong>01</strong>5 and has<br />

been regarded by some as overseeing<br />

a sea-change in the Office<br />

of the Ombudsman, which was<br />

struggling under the burden of a<br />

massive workload and investigations<br />

which were long-delayed.<br />

But his approach has caused<br />

nervousness in some parts of<br />

government after the office’s support<br />

for the release of information<br />

traditionally believed to be<br />

safe from scrutiny.<br />

That has included advice from<br />

officials, legal advice and other<br />

closely held material.<br />

Mr Brownlee told the Herald<br />

he felt “frustration,” rejecting<br />

any suggestion his ill-aimed OIA<br />

request was placing pressure on<br />

the Office of the Ombudsman.<br />

“I appreciate the importance of<br />

the OIA in a democracy,” he said.<br />

He said there was a lack of<br />

certainty around when information<br />

should be withheld from<br />

public release in cases of “free<br />

and frank advice” from officials<br />

- withheld so as to promote open<br />

advice to ministers – or commercial<br />

information, which was<br />

also considered sensitive.<br />

He said he accepted everything<br />

that was done in government<br />

would be made public<br />

eventually - but some information<br />

needed to operate under<br />

a cloak to be most effective for<br />

citizens.<br />

Auckland University of Technology<br />

lecturer Greg Treadwell,<br />

who has carried out doctoral<br />

research on the OIA, viewed Mr<br />

Brownlee’s letter to the Office<br />

of the Ombudsman and asked:<br />

“What’s he doing?”<br />

At first glance, he said it<br />

appeared Mr Brownlee didn’t<br />

know basic OIA principles even<br />

though he was approaching the<br />

end of a third term as Cabinet<br />

minister.<br />

“This is why I think it is a<br />

deliberate shot across the bows.<br />

He appears to be angry with the<br />

Ombudsman’s [EQC] decision<br />

and that seems almost inappropriate<br />

to start demanding voluminous<br />

amounts of information.<br />

That’s not quite ministerial<br />

behaviour.”<br />

Labour’s Megan Woods, who<br />

speaks on Canterbury issues,<br />

said during Mr Brownlee’s<br />

period as Minister for the EQC,<br />

people in Christchurch had<br />

resorted to using the OIA to get<br />

updates on their claims over<br />

earthquake damage.<br />

“<strong>The</strong> ability to do that was<br />

hugely important to people.”​<br />

– NZ Herald<br />

CCTV<br />

cameras<br />

for Woolston<br />

• By Noah Graham<br />

STREET surveillance cameras<br />

have gone up on Ferry Rd in an<br />

attempt to thwart robberies in the<br />

Woolston Village.<br />

Last week, city council installed<br />

two sets of CCTV cameras on<br />

traffic lights outside Cycle Around<br />

Again and the Woolston Tavern<br />

to help monitor the road and protect<br />

Woolston Village shops.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Woolston Discounter has<br />

been a frequent target over the<br />

past year with nine robberies taking<br />

place in seven months.<br />

It was hit again on Sunday<br />

when a man armed with a pistol<br />

attempted to take cigarettes and<br />

lollies but dropped most of the<br />

items on the way out of the store.<br />

Store owner Sujan Barra said he<br />

had not been told of the surveillance<br />

cameras but hoped they<br />

would prevent his shop from being<br />

a frequent target.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Ferry Rd Night ‘n Day store<br />

has also been a target, having<br />

been robbed 10 times in the past<br />

nine months.<br />

Owner of the convenience store<br />

David Lee said with the cameras<br />

installed he “certainly feels safer.”<br />

Still trying to get your<br />

EQ damage or repair<br />

issues sorted<br />

We’ve helped hundreds of homeowners get<br />

what their policy promises.<br />

Talk to us about our “no win-no fee” approach.<br />

NO WIN<br />

NO FEE<br />

Ph: 03 377 8855 | 127 Ferry Road, Christchurch City<br />

E: reception@earthquakeservices.co.nz | W: www.earthquakeservices.co.nz

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