No Right Turn has been documenting the way that Immigration NZ has been deliberately refusing to record reasons for immigration decisions because "…including rationale just opens us up to the risk of judicial review and ombudsman complaints". 

We share No Right Turn's concern at seeing a government department deliberately subverting both the letter of the Public Records Act and the spirit of open and transparent government. We have since made a formal complaint to the Chief Archivist requesting an investigation.

The response from the Chief Archivist is as follows:

My office has been in contact with the Department of Labour since earlier this year and I have recently met with the Chief Legal Counsel at Department of Labour and discussed the matter with him, and I will be continuing this dialogue.  I have also had contact with the Ombudsmen's office who are very interested in this issue.

I agree with you on the importance of ensuring public records are created and maintained in accordance with the requirements of the Public Records Act and good business practice. I will continue to work with the Department of Labour (and all public offices) to ensure that this outcome is achieved. I will update you on further developments in my work with the Department of Labour on this matter.

We are pleased to see that the Chief Archivist is on the job and we hope that there will be a satisfactory outcome. We have also asked for clarification about who would have the necessary standing to bring charges under the Public Records Act.