On how many occasions, if any, during the 2025 calendar year did each agency for which the Minister has responsibility charge someone for providing information under the Official Information Act and for each instance what was the amount charged, the reason for the charge and the date of the request?

Answer

I am advised that in August 2025 the Department of Conservation charged one requester for the release of official information. The amount charged was $1000. The charge related to external costs incurred for the retrieval of decades old files from offsite storage. The charge covered the costs of offsite file retrieval, collation and scanning. Charges were in alignment with the Ministry of Justice Charging Guidelines for OIA requests, were reasonable in the circumstances and agreed with the requester.