Leaked EQC spreadsheet back online for public download

UPDATE / April 14: The anonymous EQC Truths blogger has posted two new links to the leaked Earth Quake Commission client spreadsheet. Both work.

One of the two links is for a Google Docs file - meaning Google's Auckland office might expect a call from EQC, or perhaps police investigating a police complaint laid by EQC, on Monday morning.

A High Court injunction (see below) prevents distribution of the spreadsheet's contents of Christchurch quake claims.

Yesterday the spreadsheet went offline. EQC Truths claimed it wasn't a case of cold feet after EQC pressure, but apparent technical difficulties.

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Leaked EQC spreadsheet made available for public download - then taken down as EQC bites back

UPDATE / April 13: After being available via an offshore site for around 24 hours, the leaked EQC spreadsheet is offline.

Yesterday, EQC called the spreadsheet posting a breach of the High Court injunction that prevents original recipient Bryan Staples and the anonymous blogger behind the "EQC Truths" website from distributing information it contains.

It also called the posting a breach of its clients' privacy.

In a new post on EQC Truths, the blogger implies it its not EQC pressure but a technical error that has taken the spreadsheet offline.

"I have heard that the link containing the information is down and I presume the leaker will realise this, repost it, and send me the new link," he writes.

 "In the meantime, someone else did provide this link," he adds. The link that follows fails to load any page, however.  Assuming another person posted the link, it would mean at least four are now involved in distributing information from the file (the apparent crew being Mr Staples, the EQC Truths blogger, the mystery overseas person who posted the spreadsheet on an overseas blog, and the new protagonist who has provided the latest spreadsheet link).

EQC: contractors might jack up quotes
NBR phoned EQC, but it had nothing to add beyond its statement, which says while it considers the posting a breach of the injunction, the file contains little information not already known to its clients.

EQC has been sending all the cost estimate information to customers who request it after the contract for repairs to their house has been awarded or who have been cash settled. For customers still awaiting repairs, EQC can provide all information of the sort in the spreadsheet except cost estimates, the statement says.

“The spreadsheet contains no information that has a direct impact on customers’ entitlements. Homes will be repaired to the proper standard, regardless of the information in the spreadsheet,” EQC CEO Ian Simpson says in the statement.

“Our concern was, and remains, that the information about our estimates of repair costs allows contractors tendering for repair work to quote at the estimate level, rather than providing their most competitive market price. If this were to happen on a widespread basis, it would increase the overall cost of the Canterbury repair to the taxpayer.”

Bryan Staples sees a different motivation for keeping the information private He says the agency does not want low-ball settlement offers made public.

Earlier, Mr Staples told NBR he had taken notes on the spreadsheet before deleting it. He checked 10 of his clients' claims. Six had been offered payouts of under $15,000 he said, but on the spreadsheet were assessed at $30,000+.

April 12: The anonymous "EQC Truths" blogger is promoting a link to an off-shore website, where anyone can download a copy of a leaked EQC spreadsheet containing details of 65,000 claims.

The link to the spreadsheet began to circulate on social media shortly after 7 o'clock last night. The spreadsheet is still available for download this morning.

EQC says the spreadsheet was sent in error to claims advocate Bryan Staples.

The man behind "EQC Truths" told NBR Online he had also been sent a copy of the spreadsheet.

He believed the leak was deliberate. The original leaker had now made the spreadsheet available to all-comers by placing it on an offshore site, and was overseas himself.

New threat
The blogger wrote last night, "Tonight’s post shows EQC that I punctually follow through on what I promise."

He also issued a threat.

"I have written correspondence showing that EQC disciplined an employee for trying to raise concerns with Gerry Brownlee," he wrote.

The correspondence was "damning," wrote the blogger, who says he is an ex EQC employee. He would release it in the next few days unless EQC enters what he calls a "constructive discussion" about "The resignation of senior people, the dismantling of the Fletchers managed repair programme, the nepotism, misallocation and waste of resources, and much more."

In an email response to an NBR question, the EQC Truths blogger said, "I do have the Gerry Brownlee e-mails and a slew of other things in my possession." He refused to talk by phone.

Police complaint
On March 27, EQC laid a complaint with police, saying Mr Staples had signed a statutory declaration pledging to delete the spreadsheet, but was no threatening to retrieve it and approach media if claims relating to his clients were not settled. Mr Staples said his comments to EQC were being quoted out of context.

On April 8, EQC won a High Court injunction preventing Mr Staples and the EQC Truths blogger from distributing any information from the spreadsheet.

The agency told NBR it did not know the name or address of the man behind EQC Truths, but had sent a copy of the injunction to the email address listed on his website.

The EQC Truths blogger told NBR he had not received the injunction. A full inbox meant some messages were bouncing (and EQC confirmed to NBR it had received bounce messages and did not know if the document had been received). Nevertheless, he would abide by the injunction and stop his practice of sending people information from the spreadsheet on specific claims by request (people had to first provide photo ID and other details, with Mr Staples recommended as a conduit).

However, his pledge to stop distributing information is now academic, given the whole spreadsheet is now so easily available online.

NBR has asked police for comment.

EQC had no immediate comment but said it would later this morning [UPDATE: Late this afternoon, EQC was still in the process of preparing a statement.]

RAW DATA: EQC response

EQC issued the following response at 4.55pm today:

EQC media statement: breach of High Court injunction

12 April 2013

EQC is unhappy about the deliberate release of its confidential information, but EQC chief executive Ian Simpson says however the bulk of the information contained is already known to the customers whose repairs are complete or underway.

The spreadsheet relates to 83,000 EQC customers in the Canterbury Home Repair Programme, as it stood in September 2012.

Mr Simpson says the High Court today confirmed that the orders still stood and the police were being kept abreast of the latest developments.

However, while the release of addresses and claim numbers was a concern due to the wilful breach of those customers’ privacy, most of the information released would have been the subject of conversation between the homeowner and the contract site supervisor when homes were being scoped for repairs.

“Information such as start dates for work, if they have been decided, or whether a house was one of the 144 houses awaiting testing for asbestos, will already be known by customers.

“The spreadsheet contains no information that has a direct impact on customers’ entitlements. Homes will be repaired to the proper standard, regardless of the information in the spreadsheet,” Mr Simpson said.

“Our concern was, and remains, that the information about our estimates of repair costs allows contractors tendering for repair work to quote at the estimate level, rather than providing their most competitive market price. If this were to happen on a widespread basis, it would increase the overall cost of the Canterbury repair to the taxpayer.”

EQC has been sending all the cost estimate information to customers who request it after the contract for repairs to their house has been awarded or who have been cash settled. For customers still awaiting repairs, EQC can provide all information of the sort in the spreadsheet except cost estimates.