New Zealand Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade
Manatū Aorere
14 August 2020
195 Lambton Quay
Private Bag 18−901
Wellington 6160
New Zealand
John Luke
T +64 4 439 8000
[FYI request #13030 email]
F +64 4 472 9596
Dear John Luke
I refer to your email of 5 June 2020 in which you request the following under the Official
Information Act 1982 (OIA):
“…full meeting minutes for the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms
Control from January 2017 to now.”
On 15 June 2020, we advised you that in the interests of expediting a response to you, we
were enquiring if you were able to more specifically identify the information you are
seeking. We further advised you that the minutes of meetings over the past three and a half
years cover a number of areas, and we may be able to come back to you more quickly if
you are able to indicate what aspects of the PACDAC’s work you are interested in.
On 16 June 2020, you advised us:
“The recent [sic] for my request is for public transparency, I am not looking for any
information in particular. I would also like to encourage you to provide the information
on your website like other government agency did. Thank you.”
On 3 July 2020, we advised you that we were processing your request as it is currently
framed. We also advised you that, due to the necessity for further review and consultation,
we needed to extend the time limit for responding to you to 14 August 2020.
We have made a decision on your request. Some portions of the documents will be withheld
under the following sections of the OIA:
6(a): to avoid prejudicing the international relations of the New Zealand
Government;
9(2)(a): to protect individuals’ privacy; and
9(2)(g)(i): to protect the free and frank expression of opinions by departments.
Where the information has been withheld under section 9 of the OIA, no public interest in
releasing the information has been identified that would be sufficient to override the reasons
for withholding it.
We will provide you with the redacted documents as soon as possible.
e [MFAT request email]
w www.mfat.govt.nz
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You have the right under section 28(3) of the OIA to seek a review of this response by the
Ombudsman.
Yours sincerely
Julie-Anne Lee
for Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade