133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000
John Jacobsen
By email:
[FYI request #15084 email] Ref:
H202103899
Dear John Jacobsen
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 6 April 2021 for:
“(i) a copy of all information provided by the Ministry of Health to the Stuff journalist Henry
Cooke since 1 March 2021; and
(ii) a copy of all internal communications relating to the Ministry's processing of OIA
requests received by the Ministry from Stuff journalist Henry Cooke since 1 January 2021;
and
(iii) a copy of all communications between the Ministry of Health and the Minister of Health
and people working in the Minister of Health's office about any OIA requests the Ministry
of Health received from Stuff journalist Henry Cooke since 1 January 2021.”
The Ministry has interpreted your request as seeking information provided by the Ministry to
Henry Cooke since 1 March 2021 (part i), all internal communications relating to the Ministry’s
processing of requests provided to Henry Cooke between 1 January and 6 April 2021 (part ii)
and all communications between the Ministry, Minister of Health and officials in the office of the
Minister of Health regarding requests provided to Henry Cooke between 1 January and 6 April
2021 (part iii).
Please refer to Document 1 for information that has been identified within scope of part (i) of
your request, and Document 2 for information in response to parts (ii) and (iii) of your request.
Please note that attachments to correspondence have not been included in Document 2 as they
are captured in Document 1 where relevant. The table overleaf lists the specific grounds of the
Act under which I have decided to withhold information.
Please note that in the Ministry’s 31 March 2021 response to Henry Cooke, an administrative
error was made and whilst preparing this material for release, comments and feedback were
inadvertently removed on two of the documents sent. Additionally, a further document that fell
within the scope of the request was overlooked. Henry Cooke received an updated information
release on 11 May 2021 that corrected this oversight. This information is included in this release
to you as Document 3.
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. The Ombudsman may
be contacted by email at:
[email address] or by calling 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Kiri Richards
Acting Deputy Director-General
Mental Health and Addiction
Page 2 of 3
Appendix One: List of documents for release
#
Date
Title
Decision on release
Released with some information withheld
Information provided to Henry
1
1 April 2021
under section 9(2)(a) to protect the
Cooke on 31 March 2021
privacy of natural persons.
Correspondence between
Released with some information withheld
Ministry officials and with the
under section 9(2)(a), to protect the
February –
office of the Minister of Health
2
privacy of natural persons.
March 2021
regarding Henry Cooke’s
Information deemed outside the scope of
request for the period 1
your request has been excluded.
January to 6 April 2021
Released with some information withheld
Updated information provided
3
11 May 2021
under section 9(2)(a) to protect the
to Henry Cooke
privacy of natural persons.
Page 3 of 3