Ref: 2021-1761

 

Dear Robin,

 

On behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment I
acknowledge your email of 10^th March 2021 requesting under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following:

 

“Further to a previous OIA request ref. DOIA 2021-1458 I wish to obtain
all relevant documentation including discussions between MBIE and/or other
ministries and/or any other public-sector entities, such as the
MoH/COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group, relating to decision-making around
non-vaccination approaches to COVID19, especially in relation to the
justification rationale of the broad decision to focus solely on vaccines.

1. Please provide any and all discussions, considerations, decision-making
process including inputs relating to the decision to not fully investigate
and monitor non-vaccine prevention, mitigation and treatments in respect
of COVID19.

2. If there are is no information pursuant to the above, why is this the
case? Please provide a comprehensive response including logical and
evidence supporting any such decisions to not undertake assessments as
applicable. The rest of the world continues to investigate such
non-vaccine responses and have done continually throughout 2020 and to
date. I am aware of the "COVID-19 Innovation Acceleration Fund" funded
projects but do not consider these to be adequate explorations and
monitoring of the nature described above.

For example, the Douglas Pharmaceuticals project looked at an extremely
narrow question of whether or not hydroxychloroquine reduces risks to
frontline workers. This is not an example of a methodological approach to
ensuring all mitigations/treatments are investigated and assessed on an
ongoing basis.

3. If the MBIE is not the correct governmental agency to provide responses
to the above, please outline which agency/agencies would be responsible as
a matter of urgency.

I hereby confirm that I meet the requirements of the Act in making this
request. Should you require any evidence concerning meeting requirements
pursuant to section 12 of the Act please respond without delay outlining:

(a) the forms of evidence you deem acceptable and an email address to
which such information can be sent, and

(b) the genuine and reasonable grounds for requiring such evidence.”

 

Your request is being processed in accordance with the Act and a response
will be sent to you in due course.

 

If you have any enquiries regarding your request, or its urgency, feel
free to contact us via email at [1][MBIE request email].

 

Nâku noa, nâ

MINISTERIAL SERVICES

            

Corporate, Governance and Information

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

Level 4, 15 Stout Street, PO Box 1473, Wellington 6140

NZBN 9429000106078

 

[2]www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
services

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[MBIE request email]
2. http://www.govt.nz/

Ref: 2021-1761

 

Dear Robin,

 

On behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment I
acknowledge your email of 10^th March 2021 requesting under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act), the following:

 

“Further to a previous OIA request ref. DOIA 2021-1458 I wish to obtain
all relevant documentation including discussions between MBIE and/or other
ministries and/or any other public-sector entities, such as the
MoH/COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group, relating to decision-making around
non-vaccination approaches to COVID19, especially in relation to the
justification rationale of the broad decision to focus solely on vaccines.

1. Please provide any and all discussions, considerations, decision-making
process including inputs relating to the decision to not fully investigate
and monitor non-vaccine prevention, mitigation and treatments in respect
of COVID19.

2. If there are is no information pursuant to the above, why is this the
case? Please provide a comprehensive response including logical and
evidence supporting any such decisions to not undertake assessments as
applicable. The rest of the world continues to investigate such
non-vaccine responses and have done continually throughout 2020 and to
date. I am aware of the "COVID-19 Innovation Acceleration Fund" funded
projects but do not consider these to be adequate explorations and
monitoring of the nature described above.

For example, the Douglas Pharmaceuticals project looked at an extremely
narrow question of whether or not hydroxychloroquine reduces risks to
frontline workers. This is not an example of a methodological approach to
ensuring all mitigations/treatments are investigated and assessed on an
ongoing basis.

3. If the MBIE is not the correct governmental agency to provide responses
to the above, please outline which agency/agencies would be responsible as
a matter of urgency.

I hereby confirm that I meet the requirements of the Act in making this
request. Should you require any evidence concerning meeting requirements
pursuant to section 12 of the Act please respond without delay outlining:

(a) the forms of evidence you deem acceptable and an email address to
which such information can be sent, and

(b) the genuine and reasonable grounds for requiring such evidence.”

 

Your request is being processed in accordance with the Act and a response
will be sent to you in due course.

 

If you have any enquiries regarding your request, or its urgency, feel
free to contact us via email at [1][MBIE request email].

 

Nâku noa, nâ

MINISTERIAL SERVICES

            

Corporate, Governance and Information

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

Level 4, 15 Stout Street, PO Box 1473, Wellington 6140

NZBN 9429000106078

 

[2]www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
services

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[MBIE request email]
2. http://www.govt.nz/

Good afternoon Robin,

 

Please see attached for a letter notifying you that MBIE has transferred
your OIA request to the Ministry of Health.

 

Apologies for the delay in transferring this OIA, we have been in contact
with MOH to investigate who in that Ministry is best placed to respond to
your request.

 

Kind regards,

Lisa

 

Lisa Seng (she/her)

Ministerial Project Co-ordinator

[1]Description: Description: Description: Description: Description:
Description: Description: cid:image001.jpg@01CD1D45.D6A244C0

MINISTRY OF BUSINESS INNOVATION & EMPLOYMENT / HIKINA WHAKATUTUKI

 

 

[2]www.govt.nz - your guide to finding and using New Zealand government
services

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
2. http://www.govt.nz/

Kia ora

 

Thank you for your request for official information received 23 March 2021
for:

 

"  I wish to obtain all relevant documentation including discussions
between MBIE and/or other ministries and/or any other public-sector
entities, such as the MoH/COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group, relating to
decision-making around non-vaccination approaches to COVID19, especially
in relation to the justification rationale of the broad decision to focus
solely on vaccines.

1. Please provide any and all discussions, considerations, decision-making
process including inputs relating to the decision to not fully investigate
and monitor non-vaccine prevention, mitigation and treatments in respect
of COVID19.

2. If there are is no information pursuant to the above, why is this the
case? Please provide a comprehensive response including logical and
evidence supporting any such decisions to not undertake assessments as
applicable. The rest of the world continues to investigate such
non-vaccine responses and have done continually throughout 2020 and to
date."

 

The Ministry's reference number for your request is: H202103367.

 

As required under the Official Information Act 1982 we will endeavour to
respond to your request no later than 22 April 2021, being 20 working days
after the day your request was received.  

 

If we are unable to respond to your request within this time frame, we
will notify you of an extension of that time frame.

 

If you have any queries related to this request, please do not hesitate to
get in touch.

 

Ngā mihi

 

 

OIA Services

Government Services

Office of the Director-General

Ministry of Health

E: [email address]

 

 

show quoted sections

Hi Robin,

 

MBIE has transferred your request under s14(b)(ii) of the OIA as we
believe the request is more closely connected with the functions of the
Ministry of Health (MOH).

 

This is because we believe policy leadership for non-vaccination
approaches to COVID-19 sits with MOH. The Science and Technical Advisory
team in MOH’s COVID-19 Health System Response Directorate is constantly
looking for and reviewing the evidence regarding effective therapies for
COVID-19, whereas MBIE’s role in leading the COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy was
confined to assessing and purchasing safe and effective vaccines.

 

For more information, see MOH’s response to an OIA about treating COVID-19
with ivermectin:

[1]https://fyi.org.nz/request/14723/respons...
(may need Google Chrome).

 

We responded to your first request (DOIA 2021-1458) as you had sent it to
us after MOH declined it under OIA s18(g) information not held. While we
believe that request was also more closely connected with the functions of
MOH, we held some information in scope. Given MOH’s earlier decline we
responded to the request to ensure that you would be able to access at
least some information about the issue.  

 

Kind regards,

Lisa

 

 

Lisa Seng (she/her)

Ministerial Project Co-ordinator

 

MINISTRY OF BUSINESS INNOVATION & EMPLOYMENT / HIKINA WHAKATUTUKI

 

 

show quoted sections

Kia ora

 

Please find attached a letter regarding your request for information.

 

Ngā mihi

 

OIA Services

Government Services

Office of the Director-General

Ministry of Health

E: [1][email address]

 

 

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]