H202004975.pdf

133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000

27 August 2020

John Luke

By email:
[FYI request #13213 email]
Ref:

H202004975

Dear John Luke

Response to your request for official information

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) to the Ministry of
Health (the Ministry) on 2 July 2020 for:

“I noted on your website:
https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/leadership-ministry/expert-groups
Page last updated: 27 January 2017
Given the page is last updated at 2017, may I kindly request you to confirm if these
groups are still active and current to ensure transparency.
Also, I would like to request all the meeting minutes for each groups to date and can you
please kindly upload all the relevant meeting minutes for each group, as most of it only
shows the meeting minutes until 2017, there are no further information after 2017 been
upload.”

On 30 July 2020, the due date for responding to your request was extended under section 15A
of the Act as further collation, research and consultation was required.

A number of the groups listed are now inactive or no longer exist. Some of the active groups do
not create meeting minutes, and while other may create meeting minutes, the Ministry does not
hold all minutes from all active groups.

The information provided in response to your request is outlined in Appendix A and copies of
the expert group meeting minutes from 2017 onwards are enclosed. I have noted in Appendix A
against each group whether it is active, whether the information exists, whether the Ministry
holds their meeting minutes and where the information is publicly available. Where documents
are labelled as drafts, please note that these are in fact the finalised minutes.

Your request for the meeting minutes to be updated and published on the Ministry website does
not constitute a request for official information in accordance with section 2 of the Act, however I
thank you for the suggestion. You may be interested to know that material generated by the
Ministry is often made available where the information is considered to be of public interest, and
where there is no risk to the privacy of individuals. You can find this information on the
Information releases page on the Ministry website: https://www.health.govt.nz/about-
ministry/information-releases.

I trust this information fulfils your request. Under section 28(3) of the Act you have the right to
ask the Ombudsman to review any decisions made under this request.

Please note that this response, with your personal details removed, may be published on the
Ministry website.

Yours sincerely

Sarah Turner
Deputy Director-General
Office of the Director-General

Page 2 of 6

Appendix A: List of Expert Group Meeting Minutes for release

Document  Expert Group
Active/Inactive  Decision on release of meeting
#
minutes
N/A Healthcare
Association
Active
The Ministry does not hold this
Infections Governance
information, as such your request for
Group
the meeting minutes of this group is
refused under section 18(g) of the Act.
N/A
Cancer Consumer NZ
Inactive
This group is inactive.
1 COVID-19
Technical
Active Released
in
ful .
Advisory Group
2
Digital Advisory Board
Inactive
This group cased to exist at the end of
2018. Minutes from February 2017 to
November 2018 are released in full.
3 Epilepsy
Technical
Active Released
in
ful .
Advisory Group
4 Haematology
Working
Active Released
in
ful .
Group
N/A Health
and
Disability
N/A
There are no meeting minutes for this
System Review
review. For this reason, your request for
this information is refused under section
18(e) of the Act, as the meeting
minutes do not exist.
For your reference, the review is now
completed, and copies of the interim
and final reports are available at the
following link:
https://systemreview.health.govt.nz/.
N/A
Health Informatics New  Active
The Ministry does not hold the meeting
Zealand (HiNZ)
minutes for this group. For this reason,
your request for this information is
refused under section 18(g) of the Act.
HiNZ is a not-for-profit organisation,
you may wish to request this
information directly from HiNZ;
however, please be advised that HiNZ
is not subject to the Act, see link.
5 Health
Information
Active
Released with some information
Standards Organisation
withheld under section 9(2)(a) of the
Act, to protect the privacy of natural
persons.
N/A
Health Sector Architects  Active
There are no meeting minutes for this
Group
group. For this reason, your request for
this information is refused under section
18(e) of the Act, as the meeting
minutes do not exist.
Page 3 of 6

Document  Expert Group
Active/Inactive  Decision on release of meeting
#
minutes
6
Health Sector
Active Released
in
ful .
Relationship Agreement
Steering Group
N/A
HL7 New Zealand
Active
The Ministry does not hold this
information, as such your request for
the meeting minutes of this group is
refused under section 18(g) of the Act.
Please be advised, this group is not-for-
profit. You may wish to request this
information directly from HL7; however,
please be advised that HL7 New
Zealand are not subject to the Act.
7 Medical
Oncology
Active
Released with some information
Working Group
withheld under section 9(2)(j) of the Act,
to enable a Minister of the Crown or
any department or organisation holding
the information to carry out, without
prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations.
8
National Bowel Cancer  Active Released
in
ful .
Working Group
N/A
National Information
Inactive
The Ministry does not hold the meeting
Clinical Leadership
minutes for this group. For this reason,
Group
your request for this information is
refused under section 18(g) of the Act.
N/A National
Intestinal Inactive
There are no meeting minutes for this
Failure (NIF) Service
service, as such your request is refused
under section 18(e) of the Act, as the
meeting minutes do not exist.
N/A
National Lung Cancer
Active
The Ministry does not hold this
Working Group
information, as such your request for
the meeting minutes of this group is
refused under section 18(g) of the Act.
Please note, this group has been
managed by the Ministry as of 1 July
2020.
N/A
National Pathology and  Active
The meeting minutes for this group is
Laboratory Round Table
publicly available on the Ministry
website:
https://www.health.govt.nz/about-
ministry/leadership-ministry/expert-
groups/national-pathology-and-
laboratory-round-table/national-
pathology-and-laboratory-round-table-
meeting-minutes. As such, your request
for the meeting minutes is refused
under section 18(d) of the Act.
Page 4 of 6

Document  Expert Group
Active/Inactive  Decision on release of meeting
#
minutes
N/A
National Renal Advisory  Active
All the meeting minutes for this group is
Board
publicly available on the Ministry
website:
https://www.health.govt.nz/about-
ministry/leadership-ministry/expert-
groups/national-renal-advisory-
board/nrab-meeting-agendas-and-
minutes. For this reason, your request
for the meeting minutes is refused
under section 18(d) of the Act.
N/A National
Renal  Active
The meeting minutes for this group is
Transplant Service
publicly available on the Ministry
website:
https://www.health.govt.nz/about-
ministry/leadership-ministry/expert-
groups/national-renal-transplant-
service/nrts-meeting-minutes. As such,
your request for this information is
refused under section 18(d) of the Act.
9 National
Urological
Inactive Released
in
full.
Cancers Working Group
10 National
Youth  Active
Released in full. Please note, the first
Leadership Group
meeting for this group was held in April
2020.
N/A
New Zealand Health IT  Active
The Ministry does not hold this
(NZHIT)
information, as such your request for
the meeting minutes of this group is
refused under section 18(g) of the Act.
N/A
Patients First
Active
There are no meeting minutes for this
group. For this reason, your request for
this information is refused under section
18(e) of the Act, as the meeting
minutes do not exist.
Please be advised, Patients First is a
not-for-profit company contracted by
the Ministry to provide technology
services. As well as engagement with
the primary care sector and software
vendors on technology related items.
11 Psychoactive
Active Released
in
ful .
Substances Expert
Advisory Committee
(PSEAC)
12 Radiation
Oncology
Active Released
in
ful .
Working Group
13 New
Zealand
Active Released
in
ful .
Telehealth Forum
Page 5 of 6

Document  Expert Group
Active/Inactive  Decision on release of meeting
#
minutes
14
Well Child Tamariki Ora  Active
Released in full. Please be advised, this
Review Advisory Rōpū
group provides non-binding advice to
the Ministry.

Page 6 of 6