[UNCLASSIFIED]

 

Thank you for your email.

 

We advise that New Zealanders do not travel overseas at this time due to
the COVID-19 pandemic, associated health risks and travel restrictions.
This do not travel advisory (level 4 of 4) applies to all destinations
except Australia and the Cook Islands. See the [1]SafeTravel website for
more information, including advice for those who are staying put and steps
you should take if you still want to try to return home. We encourage all
New Zealanders overseas to register their details with SafeTravel for
important updates.

 

New Zealanders seeking consular assistance overseas can contact their
nearest New Zealand Embassy or Consulate. Contact details are listed in
each country page on the SafeTravel website. For urgent consular
assistance after-hours, please contact +64 99 20 20 20 (monitored 24
hours).

For enquiries regarding:

·           Managed Isolation and Quarantine – Detailed information can be
found at: [2]https://www.miq.govt.nz.

·           Consular issues - or if you are a New Zealand citizen overseas
needing assistance, email: [email address].

·           New Zealand Scholarships - Use the scholarships enquiries form
available at: [3]https://scholarship.force.com/CommunityF....

·           MFAT Vacancies - visit our website at:
[4]https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/about-us/wor....

·           MFAT Graduate Programme - email:
[email address].

·           New Zealand visas and asylum enquiries - visit the Immigration
New Zealand website at: [5]https://www.immigration.govt.nz/.

·           Visas for other countries - contact the relevant foreign
representative to New Zealand. A full list is available at
[6]https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/embassies/.

·           New Zealand passports - visit the Internal Affairs website at:
[7]www.passports.govt.nz.

·           New Zealand citizenship - visit the Internal Affairs website
at: [8]www.dia.govt.nz/New-Zealand-citizenship.

·           Authentication of documents and Apostilles - visit the
Internal Affairs website at: [9]www.dia.govt.nz/document-authentication.

·           Bringing goods into New Zealand - visit the New Zealand
Customs website at: [10]www.customs.govt.nz.

·           NZ suppliers or companies - visit the New Zealand Trade and
Enterprise website at: [11]www.nzte.govt.nz.

·           To attest fingerprints - visit
[12]https://www.police.govt.nz/faq/having-fi...

·           For New Zealand police certificate/clearance - visit
[13]https://www.police.govt.nz/faq/how-do-i-...
 

For all other enquiries, you will receive a response in due course.  

 

Kind regards,

 

 

MFAT ENQUIRIES

New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatû Aorere

195 Lambton Quay, Private Bag 18901
Wellington 6160

New Zealand

[14]www.mfat.govt.nz | [15]www.safetravel.govt.nz

 

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[UNCLASSIFIED]

 

Kia ora Andrew Ecclestone,

 

Thank you for your OIA request received on 12 August 2021 for:

 

1. Copies of any and all assessments MFAT has undertaken on whether NZ
should become a party to the Aarhus Convention (the UNECE Convention on
Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access
to Justice in Environmental Matters).

 

2. All information and/or advice, including meeting notes, that MFAT has
provided to (i) officials internally and (ii) the government in the last 4
years (including any Minister in the current or previous governments and
the staff of any ministerial office) on the Aarhus Convention.

 

3. Any and all assessments, estimates, or advice MFAT holds about any
activities NZ would have to undertake in order to fulfil its obligations
as a party to the Convention.

 

4. Whether MFAT consulted with any other government department or agency
or officer of parliament in undertaking any activities of the kind
referred to in (1), (2) and (3) above.

 

5. All information held by MFAT that was generated or received by it in
the course of any consultations with third parties about any matter
related to acceding to or being a party to the Aarhus Convention.

 

6. Whether MFAT or its Ministers have been asked by any current or former
Ministers to undertake an assessment of the issues involved in becoming a
party to the Aarhus Convention, and if so, copies of the correspondence.

 

This email confirms receipt of your request and advises that we will
respond to it as soon as reasonably practicable, and in terms of the
timeframes and requirements of the OIA.

 

Please note that our response letter to you (with your personal details
redacted), and any enclosed documents, may be published on the Ministry’s
website.

 

Ngâ mihi

 

Executive Services Division

New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatû Aorere

 

 

 

show quoted sections

[UNCLASSIFIED]

Tēnā koe Andrew Ecclestone

 

I am writing concerning your Official Information Act request below, to
advise that responding to your request as currently framed would require
review of a significant amount of information to locate information
potentially in scope. This is because material from pre-1998 to 2013 is
held in hard copy archival material, and is likely not be centrally
collated or indexed in a manner that would allow us to readily locate the
information. As such, it is likely that your request will be refused under
section 18(f) of the OIA, as it would require substantial collation and
research. Additionally, we are unable to access archive material during
Level 3 or 4 Lockdown.  

 

Accordingly, I am seeking your agreement to refine your request to be for:

 

1. Copies of any and all assessments MFAT has undertaken on whether NZ
should become a party to the Aarhus Convention (the UNECE Convention on
Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access
to Justice in Environmental Matters from 2013 to present.

 

2. All information and/or advice, including meeting notes, that MFAT has
provided to (i) officials internally and (ii) the government in the last 4
years (including any Minister in the current or previous governments and
the staff of any ministerial office) on the Aarhus Convention.

 

3. Any and all assessments, estimates, or advice MFAT holds about any
activities NZ would have to undertake in order to fulfil its obligations
as a party to the Convention from 2013 to present.

 

4. Whether MFAT consulted with any other government department or agency
or officer of parliament in undertaking any activities of the kind
referred to in (1), (2) and (3) above.

 

5. All information held by MFAT that was generated or received by it in
the course of any consultations with third parties about any matter
related to acceding to or being a party to the Aarhus Convention from 2013
to present.

 

6. Whether MFAT or its Ministers have been asked by any current or former
Ministers to undertake an assessment of the issues involved in becoming a
party to the Aarhus Convention, and if so, copies of the correspondence,
from 2013 to present.

 

Please confirm if you are happy to proceed with the refined request above,
by 30 August 2021. If we do not hear from you, we will proceed with your
original request.

 

Ngā mihi

 

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere

-------------------------------------------------

195 Lambton Quay, Private Bag 18901, Wellington 5045, New Zealand

[1]www.mfat.govt.nz | [2]www.safetravel.govt.nz

[3]cid:image001.png@01D77329.069A7C40

 

show quoted sections

[UNCLASSIFIED]

Tēnā koe Andrew Ecclestone

Please see the attached letter concerning your OIA request.

Ngā mihi

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere

195 Lambton Quay, Private Bag 18901, Wellington 5045, New Zealand
www.mfat.govt.nz | www.safetravel.govt.nz

show quoted sections

[UNCLASSIFIED]

Tēnā koe Mr Ecclestone

 

Following discussions with the Office of the Ombudsman regarding the
Ministry’s response to this OIA request, we have made the decision to
release the attached updated information.

 

Please also see the below response to the other issues you raised with the
Office of the Ombudsman. I hope this satisfies your information needs.

 

1.       Mr Ecclestone is surprised no meeting notes were disclosed when
the Ministry had a meeting with a UNECE official regarding the Convention
in late 2019 or early 2020.

 

MFAT officials were approached by the UNECE Official who sought a call on
MFAT while they were in New Zealand.  MFAT does not currently have a
workstream regarding adopting the convention, but agreed to a meeting
where a slidepack was presented. However, despite efforts to locate it, we
have been unable to find a copy.

 

2.       In relation to part 4 of the request, the Ministry has not stated
whether it consulted with any other government department, agency or
officer of parliament in undertaking any activities of the kind referred
to in parts 1-3 of the request.

 

Given no current workstream on adopting the Aarhus Convention exists MFAT
did not consult with any other Government department on the material given
to you.

 

3.       Part 6 of the request asks for copies of any correspondence in
which current or former Ministers asked the Ministry to undertake an
assessment of the issues involved in becoming a party to the Aarhus
Convention. The Ministry has given no indication of whether it is
withholding any correspondence that led to the email sent on 18 February
2020 being sent, or if no such correspondence is held.

 

MFAT can confirm that no information exists, and as such this part of your
request is refused under section 18(e) of the OIA.

 

4.       It is believed that the request for advice to which the email
responds came from the office of James Shaw, as Minister in the 2017-20
government, since the email is addressed to Jonathan Rowe, who was a
private secretary in Mr Shaw’s office. Mr Ecclestone believes it would be
unusual for the Ministry to respond to a request for advice that arrives
from a different minister than its own without there being a written
request for that advice.

 

Minister Shaw, in his capacity as the Minister of Climate change is one of
the Ministers MFAT directly supports.  Jonathan Rowe was a MFAT employee
seconded to the role of Private Secretary in Minister Shaw’s office, and
the provision of such advice without a written request would not have been
unusual. 

 

 

Ngā mihi

 

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere
-----------------------------------------------------------------
195 Lambton Quay, Private Bag 18901, Wellington 5045, New Zealand
[1]www.mfat.govt.nz | [2]www.safetravel.govt.nz

[3]cid:image002.png@01D6D7B1.EB2768A0

[4]www.mfat.govt.nz | [5]www.embassy.govt.nz | [6]www.aid.govt.nz |
[7]www.safetravel.govt.nz

 

show quoted sections

[UNCLASSIFIED]

Tēnā koe Mr Ecclestone

 

Regarding your Official Information Act (OIA) request of 23 August 2021
(ref: 27643) the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade would like to
provide the following comments on the relevant harm in releasing the
material withheld under the below sections of the OIA in accordance with
section 19(a)(ii):

 

Where information has been withheld under section 6(a) of the OIA it is
our assessment that releasing the information at issue would prejudice the
international relations of the New Zealand Government given that the
comments withheld are of a nature that if they became available publically
or to other countries our government’s international relations would be
prejudiced.  Amongst other things, those comments analyse the costs and
benefits of the Aarhus Convention.  Information withheld under section
9(2)(g)(i) of the OIA is necessary to protect the free and frank
expression of opinions by departments in order to provide advice to
decision makers.  Releasing this advice would prejudice provision of this
and other advice in the future. Information withheld under section 9(2)(h)
of the OIA is necessary to maintain legal professional privilege, as the
information withheld comprises privileged legal advice.  We see
insufficient reason to seek a waiver of that privilege in this instance.
We are unable to provide any further information on the grounds in support
of our reason without prejudicing the interests protected by the reason
for refusal.  Where the information has been withheld under section 9 of
the OIA, we have identified no public interest in releasing the
information that would override the reasons for withholding it.

 

Ngā mihi

 

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere
-----------------------------------------------------------------
195 Lambton Quay, Private Bag 18901, Wellington 5045, New Zealand
[1]www.mfat.govt.nz | [2]www.safetravel.govt.nz

[3]cid:image002.png@01D6D7B1.EB2768A0

[4]www.mfat.govt.nz | [5]www.embassy.govt.nz | [6]www.aid.govt.nz |
[7]www.safetravel.govt.nz

 

 

From: ESD <[email address]>
Sent: Thursday, 9 March 2023 4:11 pm
To: [FOI #16389 email]
Subject: RE: OIA 27643 - your Official Information request

 

[UNCLASSIFIED]

Tēnā koe Mr Ecclestone

 

Following discussions with the Office of the Ombudsman regarding the
Ministry’s response to this OIA request, we have made the decision to
release the attached updated information.

 

Please also see the below response to the other issues you raised with the
Office of the Ombudsman. I hope this satisfies your information needs.

 

1.       Mr Ecclestone is surprised no meeting notes were disclosed when
the Ministry had a meeting with a UNECE official regarding the Convention
in late 2019 or early 2020.

 

MFAT officials were approached by the UNECE Official who sought a call on
MFAT while they were in New Zealand.  MFAT does not currently have a
workstream regarding adopting the convention, but agreed to a meeting
where a slidepack was presented. However, despite efforts to locate it, we
have been unable to find a copy.

 

2.       In relation to part 4 of the request, the Ministry has not stated
whether it consulted with any other government department, agency or
officer of parliament in undertaking any activities of the kind referred
to in parts 1-3 of the request.

 

Given no current workstream on adopting the Aarhus Convention exists MFAT
did not consult with any other Government department on the material given
to you.

 

3.       Part 6 of the request asks for copies of any correspondence in
which current or former Ministers asked the Ministry to undertake an
assessment of the issues involved in becoming a party to the Aarhus
Convention. The Ministry has given no indication of whether it is
withholding any correspondence that led to the email sent on 18 February
2020 being sent, or if no such correspondence is held.

 

MFAT can confirm that no information exists, and as such this part of your
request is refused under section 18(e) of the OIA.

 

4.       It is believed that the request for advice to which the email
responds came from the office of James Shaw, as Minister in the 2017-20
government, since the email is addressed to Jonathan Rowe, who was a
private secretary in Mr Shaw’s office. Mr Ecclestone believes it would be
unusual for the Ministry to respond to a request for advice that arrives
from a different minister than its own without there being a written
request for that advice.

 

Minister Shaw, in his capacity as the Minister of Climate change is one of
the Ministers MFAT directly supports.  Jonathan Rowe was a MFAT employee
seconded to the role of Private Secretary in Minister Shaw’s office, and
the provision of such advice without a written request would not have been
unusual. 

 

 

Ngā mihi

 

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere
-----------------------------------------------------------------
195 Lambton Quay, Private Bag 18901, Wellington 5045, New Zealand
[8]www.mfat.govt.nz | [9]www.safetravel.govt.nz

[10]cid:image002.png@01D6D7B1.EB2768A0

[11]www.mfat.govt.nz | [12]www.embassy.govt.nz | [13]www.aid.govt.nz
| [14]www.safetravel.govt.nz

 

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