Network Enabled Army, Reconnaissance and Surveillance Project: Release of Approval Document

The pack comprises the following document:

• the submission: Network Enabled Army, Reconnaissance and Surveillance Project Implementation Business Case dated November 2021.

Certain information is withheld under the Official Information Act 1982, where the making available of the information would be likely to prejudice:

• the security or defence of New Zealand or the international relations of the Government of New Zealand [section 6(a)].

Information is also withheld in order to:

• maintain the constitutional conventions for the timing being which protect the confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers of the Crown and officials [section 9(2)(f)(iv)]
• enable a Minister of the Crown or any department or organisation holding the information to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations [section 9(2)(j)].

In addition, the business case for the project is withheld in full in accordance with the above provisions of the Act. Recognising the public interest in information on the decision to purchase major defence capabilities, the Cabinet paper provides a summary of the key information that formed the basis of Cabinet’s decision to make this purchase.

Where information has been withheld in accordance with section 9(2) of the Act, it is not considered that the public interest in this information outweigh the need to protect it.