New Zealand Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade
Manatū Aorere
14 August 2020
195 Lambton Quay
Private Bag 18−901
Wellington 6160
New Zealand
Alexander Pflaum
T +64 4 439 8000
[FYI request #13466 email]
F +64 4 472 9596
Dear Alexander Pflaum
I refer to your email of 5 August 2020 in which you request the following under the Official
Information Act 1982 (OIA):
“Since March 2019, officials from MFAT and the DPMC have engaged with Online
Service Providers and Civil Society groups in order to discuss harmful content online
and formulate the Christchurch Call.
Under the rights developed in the Official Information Act, I would like to request the
following:
Information about the number of meetings held by MFAT and DPMC OSPs and civil
society groups since March 2019, including the dates of these meetings, agendas,
and meeting minutes
All policy-making and administrative documents relating to the negotiation and
implementation of the Christchurch call, excluding email correspondence but
including policy memos and working drafts of the Christchurch call text.”
Eligibility to request information under the OIA
On 12 August 2020, we wrote to you regarding the eligibility criteria in section 12(1) of the
OIA, which provides that any of the following persons may request information under the
OIA:
Any person, being-
(a) A New Zealand citizen; or
(b) A permanent resident of New Zealand; or
(c) A person who is in New Zealand; or
(d) A body corporate which is incorporated in New Zealand; or
(e) A body corporate which is incorporated outside New Zealand but which has a
place of business in New Zealand.
Could you please confirm that you fulfil one of the criteria above.
e [MFAT request email]
w www.mfat.govt.nz
Page 2 of 2
Scope of your request
As your request is currently worded, the scope of your request encompasses a very large
volume of information. For example, there have been hundreds of meetings that are
potentially covered by part 1 of your request. In addition, work on the negotiation and
implementation of the Christchurch Call has been ongoing since March 2019 so the Ministry
will hold a significant number of documents relevant to part 2 of your request.
There is a possibility that the information you request above will require substantial collation
and research to compile. Are you able to more specifically identify the information which
you are seeking?
For example, with part 1 of your request, could you be more specific about the subject of
the meetings in question (for example, meetings relating to the development of the
Christchurch Call) or limit the time frame covered by this part of your request. With part 2
of your request, could you please be more specific about the types of policy-making and
administrative documents you are seeking (for example, are you seeking documents
providing formal or substantive advice on the development of the Christchurch Call text)?
Please let us know whether you are willing to narrow the scope of your request by
20 August 2020.
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