New Zealand Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade
Manatū Aorere
3 July 2020
195 Lambton Quay
Private Bag 18−901
Wellington 6160
New Zealand
Valerie Morse
T +64 4 439 8000
[FYI request #13034 email]
F +64 4 472 9596
Dear Valerie Morse
I refer to your email of 5 June 2020 in which you request the following under the Official
Information Act 1982 (OIA):
“I am requesting any Strategic Goods permits granted to NZ companies under Parts
1/2 of the Strategic Goods List that have an intended destination any US police force
(federal/state/local) or branch of the US military.”
To expedite a response to your request, we have interpreted the timeframe of your request
to be for the past three years. This captures the most recent information, and we consider
that it provides an acceptable picture of exports to the United States for military and police
use.
As the information you are seeking is held in a database (rather than as individual
documents), we have queried this database using criteria that would return the information
relevant to your request.
Attached is the information relevant to your request. Some portions of the document are
withheld under the following sections of the OIA:
9(2)(ba): to protect the supply of confidential information by a third party; and
9(2)(b)(ii): to avoid prejudice to the commercial position of another party.
We believe the method of drawing and presenting this information meets the intent of the
request, while protecting the supply of commercial information in line with Ombudsman’s
case note W33681.1
We have released the permit type as part of the data. An explanation of different permit
types is found on the Ministry’s website.2
We have also released the New Zealand Strategic Goods List section that the permits fall
under, by Munitions List. An explanation of Munitions List categories can also be found on
the Ministry’s website.3
1
https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/sites/default/files/2019-01/W33681.pdf 2
https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/trade/trading-weapons-and-controlled-chemicals/how-to-export-military-and-
dual-use-goods/
e [MFAT request email]
w www.mfat.govt.nz
Page 2 of 2
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.
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
3
https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/trade/trading-weapons-and-controlled-chemicals/which-goods-are-controlled/