It is understood community health service providers who contributed to the review and are keen to see it, have not been given copies of the report, although it has been widely circulating within the boards.
Repeated requests by the Otago Daily Times for an unadulterated copy of the report, which was commissioned by the Ministry of Health, appear to have caused some confusion.
A Ministry of Health official advised on June 2 of an extension of the time required to make a decision on an official information request to June 16.
In the meantime, Health Minister Tony Ryall, in a letter dated June 9, turned down the request for the report.
Mr Ryall advised that the ministry had shared the report with the two boards and had given them two weeks to comment.
The report would not be finalised until the response from the boards had been received and considered.
Once the report was finalised, Mr Ryall said it would be subject to release under the Official Information Act if requests were received in the future.
Complaints have been lodged by the Otago Daily Times with the Office of the Ombudsmen over several aspects of the extension and refusal.
In response to another complaint about the withholding of some of the notes taken at a January meeting between Mr Ryall and former district health board chairman Richard Thomson, ombudsman David McGee has ruled that the disclosure of the information would have an inhibitory impact on the future exchange of opinions between ministers and their senior officials and chairs of government boards.
Any reduction in the frankness of discussions between these parties was likely to make the conduct of public affairs in critical areas less effective.
Earlier correspondence indicated the notes referred to issues confronting the board.
Mr McGee said the notes recorded a free and frank discussion of multiple options, rather than advice on preferred options or likely decisions.
Mr McGee said he did not consider the general public interest in transparency outweighed the withholding of this information.
Exploratory discussions warranted a higher degree of protection than those at a more advanced stage, he said.
