Reference: 20190392 13 August 2019 Thank you for your Official Information Act request, received on 13 June 2019. You requested the following: “I request, under the Official Information Act 1982, a copy of all briefing papers from the Treasury to the Finance Minister Grant Robertson on housing policy issues since 1 October 2018. Please take this request to include the briefing covered in this article regarding the proposed Urban Development Authority: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/05/29/609457/kiwibuild-risks-dragging-down- housing-nz Where information is withheld, I request you provide the reason for refusal and the grounds in support of that reason as required by Sections 19(a)(i) and (ii) of the Act.” Information being released Please find enclosed the following documents: Item Date Document Description Proposed Action 1. 23 October 2018 Treasury Report: UDA Entity Release in part Form Cabinet Paper 2. 2 November 2018 Treasury Report: Briefing for Release in part Social Wellbeing Committee Meeting, Wednesday 7 November 3. 9 November 2018 Treasury Report: Briefing for Release in part Cabinet Business Committee, 12 November 2018 4. 30 November 2018 Treasury Report: Briefing for Release in part Cabinet Economic Development Committee, 5 December 2018 1 The Terrace PO Box 3724 Wellington 6140 New Zealand tel. +64-4-472-2733 https://treasury.govt.nz 5. 7 December 2018 Treasury Report: Briefing for Release in part Cabinet Economic Development Committee, 12 December 2018 6. 5 March 2019 Email: UGA DEV talking points Release in part and RM reform 7. 29 March 2019 Treasury Report: Briefing for Release in part Cabinet Economic Development Committee, 3 April 2019 8. 18 April 2019 Email RMA Cabinet Paper – Release in part advice for ministerial consultation 9. 26 April 2019 Treasury Report: Briefing for Release in part Cabinet Economic Development Committee 1 May 2019 10. 3 May 2019 Treasury Report: Briefing for Release in part Cabinet Economic Development Committee 8 May 2019 11. 17 May 2019 Treasury Report: Briefing for Release in part Cabinet Economic Development Committee 22 May 2019 I have decided to release the documents listed above, subject to information being withheld under one or more of the following sections of the Official Information Act, as applicable: • personal contact details of officials, under section 9(2)(a) – to protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of deceased natural persons, • advice still under consideration, section 9(2)(f)(iv) – to maintain the current constitutional conventions protecting the confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers and officials, • names and contact details of junior officials and certain sensitive advice, under section 9(2)(g)(i) – to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank expression of opinions, • name and contact details of officials, under section s9(2)(g)(ii) the protection of such Ministers, members of organisations, officers, and employees from improper pressure or harassment, and • direct dial phone numbers of officials, under section 9(2)(k) – to prevent the disclosure of information for improper gain or improper advantage. Some information has been redacted because it is not covered by the scope of your request. This is because the documents include matters outside your specific request. 2 Direct dial phone numbers of officials have been redacted under section 9(2)(k) in order to reduce the possibility of staff being exposed to phishing and other scams. This is because information released under the OIA may end up in the public domain, for example, on websites including Treasury’s website. Information publicly available The following information is also covered by your request and will soon be publicly available on the Treasury website as part of the Budget 2019 Information Release, or on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development website through proactive release: Item Date Document Description Website Address 1. 22 May 2019 Cabinet paper: Hamilton- www.hud.govt.nz Auckland Corridor Partnership, Plan and Programme 2. 29 March 2019 Treasury Report: Funding www.treasury.govt.nz Options for the Housing and Urban Development Package in Budget 2019 3. 5 March 2019 Treasury Report: Budget 2019 www.treasury.govt.nz Bilateral with Minister Twyford (Housing and Urban Development) 4. 25 October 2018 Treasury Report: Bilateral www.treasury.govt.nz Discussion: Minister of Finance and Minister of Housing and Urban Development and Transport 5. 16 October 2018 Treasury Report: Bilateral www.treasury.govt.nz Discussion: Building & Construction and Ethnic Communities Accordingly, I have refused your request for the documents listed in the above table under section 18(d) of the Official Information Act: • the information requested is or will soon be publicly available. Some relevant information has been removed from documents listed in the above table and should continue to be withheld under the Official Information Act, on the grounds described in the documents. 3 Information to be withheld There are additional documents covered by your request that I have decided to withhold in full under the following sections of the Official Information Act, as applicable: • advice still under consideration, section 9(2)(f)(iv) – to maintain the current constitutional conventions protecting the confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers and officials, and • sensitive advice, under section 9(2)(g)(i) – to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank expression of opinions. In making my decision, I have considered the public interest considerations in section 9(1) of the Official Information Act. Please note that this letter (with your personal details removed) and enclosed documents may be published on the Treasury website. This reply addresses the information you requested. You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision. Yours sincerely Geraldine Treacher Manager, Housing and Urban Development 4 TOIA 20190392 Table of Contents 1. Treasury Report UDA Entity Form Cabinet Paper 1 2. Treasury Report Briefing for Social Wellbeing Committee Meeting Wednesday, 7 9 November 2018 3. Briefing for Cabinet Business Committee, 12 November 2018 14 4. Briefing for Cabinet Economic Development Committee 5 12 2018 11 00 AM 17 5. Briefing for Cabinet 12_12_2018 12_00 AM 20 6. Email - FW UGA DEV talking points and RM reform 26 7. Briefing for Cabinet Economic Development Committee 3 04 2019 11 00 AM 29 8. Email RMA Cabinet Paper - advice for Minisiterial Consultation 34 9. Briefing for Cabinet Economic Development Committee 1_05_2019 11_00 AM 37 10. Briefing for Cabinet Economic Development Committee 8_05_2019 11_00 AM 41 11. Briefing for Cabinet Economic Development Committee 22_05_2019 11_00 AM 46 20190392 TOIA Binder Doc 1 Page 1 of 51 IN-CONFIDENCE Treasury Report: UDA Entity Form Cabinet Paper Date: 23 October 2018 Report No: T2018/2997 File Number: SH-3-2-18 Action Sought Action Sought Deadline Minister of Finance Refer this report to Hon Twyford 25 October 2018 (Hon Grant Robertson) Discuss the contents of this report with Hon Twyford Contact for Telephone Discussion (if required) Name Position Telephone 1st Contact s9(2)(k) Glen Thomson Principal Advisor s9(2)(a) Tom Hall Manager, Housing Actions for the Minister’s Office Staff (if required) Return the signed report to Treasury. Note any feedback on the quality of the report Enclosure: No Treasury:4023185v3 IN-CONFIDENCE 20190392 TOIA Binder Doc 1 Page 2 of 51 IN-CONFIDENCE Treasury Report: UDA Entity Form Cabinet Paper Executive Summary The Minister of Housing and Urban Development (Hon Twyford) is consulting you and other ministers on a draft Cabinet Paper “Establishing the national urban development authority”, which seeks decisions on the composition and legal form of the proposed Urban Development Authority (the UDA). This report provides a briefing on the paper, and Treasury’s advice on the decisions being sought. Cabinet has agreed in principle to establish a UDA to lead large-scale urban development, drive delivery of the 100,000 affordable homes planned for KiwiBuild, and deliver on the Government’s other urban development priorities. The paper seeks decisions on two design issues: which of the existing centres of central government capability should comprise the UDA, and what legal form it should take. Options in the draft Cabinet paper for the composition of the UDA are: A “fully-integrated option”, which combines Housing New Zealand (HNZ), its subsidiary HLC 2017 Ltd (HLC), and the KiwiBuild Unit, consolidating development capability and HNZ’s existing social housing functions into a single entity, delivering the Government’s priorities across the entire housing spectrum. A “semi-integrated option”, which combines HLC and the KiwiBuild Unit to form a specialised development agency, with a rump HNZ remaining as a developer and tenancy manager of public housing. The fully-integrated option aims to build an integrated delivery entity, maximising synergies and scale economies. It would have automatic access to HNZ’s land and balance sheet to enable developments and fund land purchases and infrastructure. The disadvantages of this option flow from the challenge of managing multiple strategic focuses and a wide scope of operations. The draft paper acknowledges the risks, in particular the potential for conflict between the entity’s urban development and public housing roles. The semi-integrated option would create an entity with a clear strategic focus on urban development and more straightforward accountability arrangements. It would provide increased transparency over the use of public-housing assets and public-housing funding, and reduce disruption to HNZ’s public-housing asset management and tenancy management functions during the transition to the UDA. The disadvantages of this option are that issues such as control of HNZ land for redevelopment and the relocation of HNZ tenants ahead of development activity need to be managed at potentially higher transactions cost between two entities, rather than internally to the UDA under the fully-integrated option.