WSF and Department of Natural Resources and Water

Application number:
210161
Decision date:
Thursday, Feb 07, 2008

WSF and Department of Natural Resources and Water
(210161, 7 February 2008)

Sufficiency of search

The applicant sought access to a range of documents from the Department of Natural Resources and Water (Department) in relation to certain processes and compliance issues.

The applicant made a number of submissions supporting his claim that further documents should exist and be disclosed to him, and provided documentation as evidence.

The Department conducted extensive searches during the FOI process and provided submissions as to why no further documents responsive to the freedom of information application (FOI Application) existed. Staff members of this Office also met with departmental officers on two occasions and made further enquiries with the Department as to why no further documents existed.

After careful consideration of the applicant’s submissions and the information provided by the Department, Acting Information Commissioner Rangihaeata, applying the principles from Shepherd and Department of Housing, Local Government and Planning (1994) 1 QAR 464, decided that:

 

·       there were no reasonable grounds to believe that further documents responsive to the applicant’s FOI Application existed and were documents of the Department

·       the search efforts made by the Department to locate documents responsive to the FOI Application had been reasonable in the circumstances.