;
Te Tari Taiwhenua
Internal Affairs
11 March 2024
Ministerial Services
45 Pipitea St, Thorndon
PO Box 805, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
Phone +64 4 495 7200
Website: www.dia.govt.nz
J Bruning
fyi-reguest-25205-
[email address]
Dear J Bruning
Official Information Act request {OIA 2324-0590)
Thank you for your request for information dated 16 December 2023 made under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act) to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC). You
requested the following information:
Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,
All advice/memos/reports/communications between Prime Minister and/or Cabinet and the
Minister of Finance (or acting Minister of Finance) which refer to or discuss central bank
digital currencies {CBDCs). From March 2022 -
December 16 2023.
The Department understands that on 21 December 2023 your request was transferred by DPMC
to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand - Te POtea Matua for response.
On 12 February 2024 your request was subsequently transferred by the Reserve Bank of New
Zealand - Te POtea Matua to the Department of Internal Affairs (the Department) for response as
your request is more closely related to the functions of the Department.
To clarify, the Department will only search for the electronic correspondence and emails of the Rt
Hon Dame Jacinda Ardern, Rt Hon Chris Hipkins, and Hon Grant Robertson as this is the
correspondence held in our capacity as holders of former Minister's records. The Department will
not hold correspondence with Cabinet office or hold Cabinet papers, the rules of release of such
papers are governed by the Cabinet manual.
Response to your request
The Department has accepted transfer of your request as it relates to a former Minister of the
Crown.
• Former Ministers are not subject to the Act but records from their time as a Minister of
the Crown are in scope of the legislation.
• For the purpose of the Act, the Department is deemed to be the agency that holds the
records of former Ministers during their time as Ministers of the Crown.
• The Department has in place a set process for accessing and releasing email records of
former Ministers of the Crown under the Act. Please see
Appendix A.
• Electronic records of former Ministers' text messages, WhatsApp, Facebook and other
social media messages are searched and retrieved through a separate process.
When commissioning a search of such records on the parliamentary server the Department would
provide Parliamentary Service with specific key words, dates or topics, to help condense its search
to produce the most accurate and manageable output.
For your request the Department will apply the following approach for your search:
• Time period -1 March 2022 to 16 December 2023
• Individuals- Rt Hon Dame Jacinda Ardern, Rt Hon Chris Hipkins, and Hon Grant Robertson.
• Key word -
Central bank digital currencies, CBDCs
Due to the potential large volume of information to be searched and reviewed for this part of your
request, and the consultation that may be required with Rt Hon Dame Jacinda Ardern, Rt Hon
Chris Hipkins and Hon Grant Robertson it is generally not possible for the Department to respond
to this information request within the 20 working day time limit set out in the Act.
We will therefore extend our response timeframe to 70 working days to 23 May 2024, under the
following sections of the Act:
• Section lSA(l)(a) the request is for a large quantity of official information or necessitates
a search through a large quantity of information and meeting the original time limit would
unreasonably interfere with the operations of the department or the venture or the
Minister of the Crown or the organisation; and
• Section lSA(l)(b) consultations necessary to make a decision on the request are such that
a proper response to the request cannot reasonably be made within the original time limit.
If you have any concerns with the information in this response, you have a right to request an
investigation and review by the Ombudsman under section 28(3) of the Act. Information on how
to do this is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
We will endeavour to provide a response to your request sooner than the updated timeframe,
where practicable.
Briget Ridden
General Manager - Ministerial Services
Te Haumi - Enterprise Partnerships
Te Tari Taiwhenua - The Department of Internal Affairs
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Appendix A: Process for identifying official information for former Ministers
1. The following outlines the search process for searching former Ministers' records:
• The Department will request the Parliamentary Service to perform a search for email
correspondence of the former Minister as specified in the information request terms.
• The search function in relation to emails held on the parliamentary server is limited. The
product used by the Parliamentary Service is based on a single word keyword approach,
for example, "OIA," "request" instead of the search phrase "OIA request".
• Once the Parliamentary Service has identified email correspondence that may fall within
the scope of the request, the former Minister would be requested to review the emails
to determine if they were sent or received by them in their capacity as a Minister of the
Crown (and thus constitute official information), and which emails were not.
• The former Minister may themself review the identified information or request the
Parliamentary Service to complete this step on their behalf.
• Once emails have been identified as official information, they would be provided by the
Parliamentary Service to the Department for consideration of release under the Act.
2. Due to the potential large volume of information to be searched and reviewed, and
consultation required with the former Minister, it is generally not possible for the
Department to respond to an information request within the twenty working day time limit
set out in the Act. An extension of at least 60 days or longer is generally required under
section lSA of the Act as:
(1) Where a request in accordance with section 12 is made or transferred to a
department or an interdepartmental venture or a Minister of the Crown or an
organisation, the chief executive of that department or board of that venture or
an officer or employee of that department or venture authorised by that chief
executive or board or that Minister of the Crown or that organisation may extend
the time limit set out in section 14 or 15(1) in respect of the request if -
(a) the request is for a large quantity of official information or necessitates a
search through a large quantity of information and meeting the original time
limit would unnecessarily interfere with the operations of the department or
the venture or the Minster of the Crown or the organisation; or
(b) consultations necessary to make a decision on the request are such that a
proper response to the request cannot be reasonably be made within the
original time limit.
Any decision on timeframes is considered on a case-by-case basis.
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