What are they hiding?

Business Desk reports:

Three Waters Reform Programme officials are keeping secret both the advice that led to its controversial television advertising campaign and the identity of its author.

In its OIA release, the three waters programme directorate deleted several paragraphs summarising the proposed campaign, an appendix with the full proposal, and the identity of its author. The anonymous supplier is described in the paper both as “an independent marketing and communications consultant”, and “an independent consultancy firm“. 

Donnelly said it was also “not acceptable” that it took 50 working days for the three waters programme to decide not to release the advice and its author.  This comprised the statutory 20 working days allowed under the OIA, a 15-day extension (also allowed), and another 15 working days without a deadline extension. “The statutory obligation is to respond to a request for official information as soon as reasonably practicable,” Donnelly said.

This looks very suspicious. They took 50 working days (10 weeks) merely to refuse to release the name of the author. Why are they hiding this information?