STAT RV i

   

17 September 2015

Advice on past and planned meetings and measures for public participation for the
OGP Stakeholder Advisory Group
SSCOIA 08/15/09

Thank you for your email of 25 August 2015, in which you requested information under the
Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).

You have requested
- A list of all past and planned meetings of the OGP Stakeholder Advisory Group.

- Any information held on the measures taken to enable the public participation,
suggested by the Stakeholder Advisory Groups terms of reference. for example,
whether meetings were advertised, or press releases issued.

- Agendas, papers and minutes for all past meetings, and agendas and papers for all
meetings happening within 5 working days of the request.

The StakeholderAdvisory Group (Group) met on 29 July, 19 August and 1 September 2015.
and held a teleconference on 10 September 2015. We are currently working with the Chair
of the Group on the work programme for future meetings and meeting dates,

The purpose for the original planned approach to distribution of papers (Le. that agendas
and papers for Group meetings will be made available 5 days before the meeting) was to
enable the Group to have the benefit of public feedback in its discussions However, once
we established the Group and moved to undertaking meetings in practice, we quickly
identified that making all papers available prior to the meeting and minutes immediately
afterwards will be both administratively difficult, and also could constrain the ability of some
officials to discuss matters with the Group in a free and frank manner, for example, to
present material had not yet been to Ministers or which is in early development, We also
considered that the Group should be involved in decisions about information that should be
released proactively to assist their discussions, and in ensuring that any minutes produced
were an accurate record of proceedings. through Group review and sign off,

Therefore, we are now working With the Chair to establish a better process to enable public
release of information about the meetings of the Group. which will be efficient, will occur in
a way that will best enable Group members to bring views of the public to their discussions,
and will still enable officials to be free and frank where necessary. The Group will consider
an amended terms of reference shortly, to give effect to this objective. While I do not want
to predetermine the outcome of that Group discussion. we anticipate that this process will
involve early release of agendas for upcoming meetings, and some papers, and that the
minutes will be available once approved as accurate by the Group, and that our new process
will be administratively easier to manage.

1 mt- Terrare

vu 329 Wellington ma

New zeaiami

Phone is" "95 66m:

Faxce/y r, rm seas
2185246J govt 

In terms of the paperwork you requested from the earlier meetings, the bulk of the
information (agendas, minutes, and papers where appropriate) will soon be made available
on the SSC website. I am therefore refusing your request under section 18(d) of the Official
Information Act as the information requested is, or will soon be, publicly available.

You have the right under section 28(3) of the Act to complain to the Ombudsman regarding
this response.

Yours sincerely

 

Andrew Royle
Chief Legal Advisor

2185246_1' 2