17 December 2021
45 Pipitea St
PO Box 805
Wellington 6140
Sebastian
Phone +64 4 495 7200
Fax +64 4 495 7222
Via email
: fyi-request-17604-
Websi
te dia.govt.nz
[email address]
Tēnā koe Sebastian
Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request dated 17 November 2021 (ref OIA2122-0418)
Thank you for your OIA request dated 17 November 2021 to the Department of Internal
Affairs (Department). Your request was as follows –
“In regards to the OIA request I made to your agency which recently received your
response by email, I would like to make a request for copies of some of the documents
you referred to:
I would like to request copies of the following reports produced for DIA by the Institute
for Strategic Dialogue:
1) Storming of the US Capitol Building on 06 January 2021
2) Dominant Covid-19 Narratives Among New Zealand Extremists and Conspiracy
Theorists
3) Two Years On: understanding the Resonance of the Christchurch Attack among
Online Extremists
4) Gender in the New Zealand Online Ecosystem
5) QAnon in New Zealand
6) 1080 and Online Extremism in New Zealand
7) Gun Amnesty Discussions among New Zealand Extremists Online
8) New Zealand Extremism Quarterly report 1st April 2021 – 30th June 2021
These Department Intelligence Briefs:
1) United States Presidential Inauguration 2021 (21 January 2021)
2) Operation Christchurch (16 March 2021)
3) Lynn Mall Violent Extremist Attack (5 September 2021)
And these other documents:
1) Online scanning guide (21 July 2021)
2) Classifications process (15 February 2021)
3) Managing content translation (13 April 2021)
4) Legal services (18 February 2021)”
Documents in scope of your request
The
15 documents in scope of your request have been collated in Appendices A – C which
are summarised in the tables attached to this letter.
Principle of availability
The guiding principle for considering your request for official information is the principle of
availability (section 5 of the OIA), that is, information must be made available on request
unless there is good reason for withholding it. “Good reason” for withholding is defined in
the OIA under a number of grounds. It is against these grounds that the Department
considered whether to withhold official information in this case.
Withholding grounds applicable under section 6 of the OIA
The Department has considered the conclusive reasons for withholding information that are
not subject to the public interest test, listed in section 6 of the OIA. The Department
considers two section 6 grounds apply to all the documents in Appendices A and B. The
Department is therefore withholding the documents contained in Appendices A and B in full
under the following grounds:
• section 6(a), where the making available of the information would be likely to
prejudice the security or defence of New Zealand or the international relations of the
Government of New Zealand; and
• section 6(c), where the making available of the information would be likely to
prejudice the maintenance of the law, including the prevention, investigation, and
detection of offences, and the right to a fair trial.
The Department is also withholding Document 1, Appendix C in full under section 6(c) of the
OIA, but is providing a brief summary of the document’s contents in the table at Appendix C.
If you are dissatisfied with the Department’s decision on your request for information, you
have the right, under section 28 of the OIA, to make a complaint to the Office of the
Ombudsman. The Office of the Ombudsman can be contacted by phone on 0800 802 602,
via post at PO Box 10152 Wellington or via email to [email address].
Ngā mihi
Jared Mullen
Director
Digital Safety
Page 2 of 4
Appendix A
Document
Title
Date
Comments
number
Document 1
Briefing – by Institute for
29 January
Withheld in full under section 6(a)
Strategic Dialogue (ISD)
2021
and 6(c) of the OIA.
“Storming of the US Capitol
Building on 06 January 2021”
Document 2
ISD Briefing
18 February
Withheld in full under section 6(a)
“Dominant Covid-19
2021
and 6(c) of the OIA.
Narratives Among New
Zealand Extremists and
Conspiracy Theorists”
Document 3
ISD Ethnographic Briefing
2021
Withheld in full under section 6(a)
“Two Years On:
and 6(c) of the OIA.
Understanding the
Resonance of the
Christchurch Attack among
Online Extremists”
Document 4
ISD Briefing
2021
Withheld in full under section 6(a)
“Gender in the New Zealand
and 6(c) of the OIA.
Online Extremist Ecosystem”
Document 5
ISD Briefing
2021
Withheld in full under section 6(a)
“QAnon in New Zealand”
and 6(c) of the OIA.
Document 6
ISD Briefing
2021
Withheld in full under section 6(a)
“1080 and Online Extremism
and 6(c) of the OIA.
in New Zealand”
Document 7
ISD Briefing
2021
Withheld in full under section 6(a)
“Gun Amnesty Discussions
and 6(c) of the OIA.
among New Zealand
Extremists Online”
Document 8
ISD Quarterly Snapshot:
30 June 2021
Withheld in full under section 6(a)
“New Zealand Extremism
and 6(c) of the OIA.
Quarterly report 1st April
2021 – 30th June 2021”
Page 3 of 4
Appendix B
Document
Title
Date
Comments
number
Document 1
Department Intelligence Brief 21 January
Withheld in full under section 6(a)
“United States Presidential
2021
and 6(c) of the OIA.
Inauguration 2021”
Document 2
Department Intelligence Brief 16 March
Withheld in full under section 6(a)
“Operation Christchurch”
2021
and 6(c) of the OIA.
Document 3
Department Intelligence Brief 5 September
Withheld in full under section 6(a)
“Lynn Mall Violent Extremist
2021
and 6(c) of the OIA.
Attack”
Appendix C
Document
Title
Date
Comments
number
Document 1
Online Scanning Guide
21 July 2021
Withheld in full under section 6(c) of
the OIA and summarised below.
This online scanning guide
developed for Digital Safety provides
an overview for staff of how to
gather open-source information to
gain a better understanding of the
online environment. It also details
how to safely operate online.
Document 2
Classifications process
15 February
Released in full.
2021
Document 3
Managing Content
13 April 2021
Released in full.
Translation
Document 4
Legal Services
18 February
Released in full.
2021
Page 4 of 4
