24 November 2021
New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
[FYI request #17162 email]
Ref: OIA-2021/22-0489
Dear New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties
Official Information Act request relating to vaccine certificates
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request received on 27 October 2021. You
requested:
1. Copies of all the information provided to those people or organisations outside government
that the Prime Minister said were being consulted on vaccination certificates; and
2. Information, correspondence, or advice received from the Privacy Commissioner or his
officials, and minutes of meetings with the Commissioner or his officials, on the subject of
vaccination certificates since 1 January 2021; and
3. Advice held, or received, on the Human Rights Act and NZ Bill of Rights Act implications of
introducing vaccination certificates; and
4. Advice to Ministers since 1 January 2021 on police, intelligence and security agency, or public
service department access to information gathered when a vaccination certificate is scanned
or authenticated by a place that a certificate holder visits; and
5. Advice to Ministers since 1 May 2021 about vaccination certificates (not ‘vaccination
passports’ for international use)
If the Ministry is unwilling to disclose the advice received and provided please provide the
information that you hold in relation to the following questions:
1. Why is the government not consulting the public on vaccination certificates?
2. How is the government upholding Te Tiriti by working with Mâori?
3. Why has the government not published the advice from the Privacy Commissioner, officials
working on the Human Rights Act and NZ Bill of Rights Act implications, and the papers
considered by Cabinet?
4. Will there be any limits on who can download and use the app for scanning vaccination
certificates? If so, what limits?
5. What data will be collected by the app that scans the certificates? How much of this data will
be retained on the app, or will it all be deleted once a certificate has been verified as genuine?
6. What data will be logged by the government when a vaccination certificate is scanned by a
venue? Will this include location, date and time of the scan? If yes to any of this, for how long
will this information be retained?
7. Will any of the data logged by the government when a certificate is scanned be shared with
any other government agency? Will the government legislate to prevent this data from being
shared or accessed by any other agency?
8. Will the data retained by the government be shared in aggregate form?
Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
4460839
64 4 817 9700 Facsimile 64 4 472 3181 www.dpmc.govt.nz
9. Will the data retained by the government be shared in so-called ‘anonymous’ form?
10. Wil the government legislate to protect people’s rights by prohibiting supermarkets, dairies,
health centres, pharmacies, and other essential public services such as transport and Work
and Income offices from requiring people to show a vaccination certificate?
11. Will the government put a sunset clause in the legislation to shut down the domestic
vaccination certificate system?
I have decided under section 15A of the Act to extend the time limits for deciding on your request by
an additional 20 working days. Consequently, the extended due date for your response will be 22
December 2021.
The extension is required because of the consultations needed to make a decision on your request.
Despite the extension, a response will be sent to you as soon as possible.
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision under section 28(3)
of the Act.
Yours sincerely
Sarah Corbett
Manager, Ministerial and Business Services
