The Covi-19 modelling that you publicly stated showed there could be tens of thousands of deaths in NZ
Mike Patrick made this Official Information request to Jacinda Ardern
Response to this request is long overdue. By law Jacinda Ardern should have responded by now (details and exceptions). The requester can complain to the Ombudsman.
From: Mike Patrick
Dear Jacinda Ardern,
In introducing NZ to the "lockdown" and various alert levels in some of your early public statements you referred repeatedly to modelling and other information that showed there was a threat that tens of thousands of new zealanders would die. You used this as the justification for introducing the various changes and restrictions that NZ has and is still dealing with.
I would like to request under the OIA copies of the specific modelling that gave rise to this public statement and any other specific information that you specifically based the "tens of thousands of New Zealanders could die" statement on.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Patrick
From: Rt. Hon Jacinda Ardern
Kia ora,
Thanks very much for taking the time to get in touch with Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern.
We are currently experiencing unprecedented numbers of emails about
COVID-19. If you are writing about an issue relating to COVID-19, here’s a
list of links that you may find helpful:
[1]Latest Government COVID-19 info
[2]For COVID-19 financial assistance
[3]For business and tax info
[4]For up to date travel advice
[5]For immigration and visa advice
If you are showing symptoms of COVID-19, please call your local GP.
We hope one of the above links helps answer your question, if not we will
try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Thanks again and please take care.
Authorised by Jacinda Ardern MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Visible links
1. https://covid19.govt.nz/
2. https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/
3. https://www.ird.govt.nz/covid19
4. https://www.google.com/search?q=safetrav...
5. https://www.immigration.govt.nz/
From: Rt. Hon Jacinda Ardern
I am writing on behalf of the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, to acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act request.
Your request will be responded to under the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982.
Yours sincerely
Dinah Okeby
Office of the Prime Minister
Authorised by Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern MP, Parliament Buildings Wellington 6012
show quoted sections
From: Tabitha Spicer
Dear Mike Patrick
On behalf of Raj Nahna, I attach a letter in response to your request
received on 12 May 2020.
Yours sincerely
Tabitha Spicer
Private Secretary (Administration) │Office of the Prime Minister
DDI : + 64 4 817 8700
Level 9 Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6011
The information contained in this email is intended for the named
recipient only. It may contain privileged material or information in
confidence and if you are not the intended recipient, you must not copy,
distribute or take any action in reliance on it.
If you have received this email in error please notify us immediately by
telephone (04 817-9732) or by return email.
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
Authorised by Jacinda Ardern MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington
Email disclaimer:
Please note information about meetings related to the Ministers’
portfolios will be proactively released (this does not include personal or
constituency matters). For each meeting in scope, the summary would list:
date, time (start and finish), brief description, location, who the
meeting was with, and the portfolio. If you attend a meeting with the
Minister on behalf of an organisation, the name of the organisation will
be released. If you are a senior staff member at an organisation, or meet
with the Minister in your personal capacity, your name may also be
released. The location of the meeting will be released, unless it is a
private residence. The proactive release will be consistent with the
provisions in the Official Information Act, including privacy
considerations. Under the Privacy Act 1993 you have the right to ask for a
copy of any personal information we hold about you, and to ask for it to
be corrected if you think it is wrong. If you’d like to ask for a copy of
your information, or to have it corrected, or are concerned about the
release of your information in the meeting disclosure, please contact the
sender. You can read more about the proactive release policy at
[1]https://www.dia.govt.nz/Proactive-Releas...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Visible links
1. https://www.dia.govt.nz/Proactive-Releas...
Virginia Crawford left an annotation ()
The modelling by Ferguson predicted that over 41,000 deaths due to covid would occur in New Zealand.
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperia...
Things to do with this request
- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence
Virginia Crawford left an annotation ()
As suspected, the modelling by Neil Ferguson (Imperial College, London) was what led our government to make this statement. Ferguson's predictions have been shown to be wildly inaccurate and misleading, not only with covid but also in other scenarios.
Link to this