DPMC OIA Reply.pdf

23 August 2022

Sebastian
[FYI request #17660 email]

Ref: OIA-2021/22-1326
Dear Sebastian

Official Information Act request relating to Counter-Terrorism review documents

Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request received on 10 May 2022.
You requested:

Thank you for your response of 8 February. I would like to make a follow up request for
the following:

ONE: A copy of the report titled “A National Security & Intelligence Framework
for New Zealand” (Michael Wintringham and Jane Jones, September 2009)

TWO: A copy of the report titled “Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Value
for Money Review” (Murray Horn, August 2012)

THREE: I would also like to renew my request for the document I requested in
November, namely the document I identified as “Independent Review of Current
Activity and Development of a Counter-Terrorism Strategy by Steve Long, 2015.”

In your response letter of 8 February you advised me that “there is no 2015 document
written by Steve Long with [that] title…” For your reference, my source for this request
was Part 8, Chapter 2 of the Christchurch attacks Royal Commission of Inquiry report.
The title, author and date of publication is given in Table 12 as I quoted it, as can be
seen here:

https://christchurchattack.royalcommission.nz/the-report/part-8-assessing-the-counter-
terrorism-effort/the-setting/

In Part 8, Chapter 3 the same report is apparently referred to in paragraph 45:

“A 2015 report reiterated the need for a New Zealand counter-terrorism strategy. That
report identified an insufficient emphasis on risk assessment, the absence of
formalised arrangements that enabled ministers to weigh up the violent extremist or
terrorist risk against other national security risks and the lack of whole-of-government
counter-terrorism work programme management, reporting or evaluation. It also
identified the continued absence of planned and regular public engagement on the
terrorism risks facing New Zealanders at home and abroad and measures taken to
counter those risks.”

I would like to request a copy of the report referred to in this paragraph.

I would further like to request:

Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
4570061

  64 4 817 9698  www.dpmc.govt.nz

1) If any review was completed for DPMC by former Director of the Domestic and
External Security Group Steve Long on any topic, since 2010, and if so, what is
the title and date of publication.

2) If any reviews of the counter-terrorism system were completed for DPMC from
2010 to 2018 (besides "Counter-Terrorism: A review of the New Zealand CT
landscape" by Simon Murdoch, 2013), and if so what are their titles and dates of
publication.”

I  advised  on  8  June  2022  that  the  timeframe  for  responding  to  your  request  was  extended
under section 15A of the Act by 35 working days because consultations were needed before
a decision could be made on the request. Subsequently on 23 June 2022, I responded to part
two  of  your  request  for  the  document  titled:  ‘DPMC  Value  for  Money  and  Right  Sizing  the
Budget’ which was released to you in full. I apologise for the delay in responding and I am now
in a position to respond to the remainder of your request (bolded above).

Please note that the requested documents date from 2009 and 2015, and do not reflect the
current counter terrorism strategy and work programme.

I will respond to the remainder of your request in turn.

“A National Security & Intelligence Framework for New Zealand” (Michael Wintringham
and Jane Jones, September 2009)
Please find enclosed a document titled: ‘A National Security & Intelligence Framework for New
Zealand.’ This document was previously declassified and is being released to you in part with
some information being withheld under one of more of the following sections of the Act:

•  Section 6(a), to protect the security or defence of New Zealand or the international relations
of the Government of New Zealand;
•  Section 6(b)(i), to protect the entrusting of information to the Government of New Zealand
on a basis of confidence by the Government of any other country or any agency of such a
Government;
•  Section 9(2)(a), to protect the privacy of individuals;
•  Section  9(2)(b)(ii),  to  protect  the  commercial  position  of  the  person  who  supplied  the
information, or who is the subject of the information;
•  Section 9(2)(f)(iv), to maintain  the confidentiality of advice tendered by or to Ministers and
officials, and
•  Section 9(2)(g)(i), to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and
frank expression of opinion.

Independent  Review  of  Current  Activity  and  Development  of  a  Counter-Terrorism
Strategy by Steve Long, 2015

DPMC  has  conducted  an  extensive  search  within  its  electronic  document  management
systems and has been unable to locate the document titled, ‘Independent Review of Current
Activity and Development of a Counter-Terrorism Strategy – 2015, by Steve Long’. However,
DPMC  has  located  a  document  titled  The  New  Zealand  Counter  Terrorism  Strategy  (draft)
which I am releasing to you in full, noting this document is a draft and not public policy.

The document was not progressed to final, as noted by the Royal Commission of Inquiry report
Part 8, Section 3.4.

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I  can  also  advise  that  a  Cabinet  National  Security  Committee  paper  titled  ‘New  Zealand
Counter Terrorism Work Strategy’ was produced which references a 2015 independent review
of New Zealand’s current Counter-Terrorism work programme and is being provided to you in
part, some information is withheld under s9(2)(a), to protect the privacy of individuals.

New Zealand’s current Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism Strategy was last updated
in 2021 and is available here:
https://dpmc.govt.nz/our-programmes/national-security/counter-terrorism/new-zealands-
countering-terrorism-and-violent

1) If any review was completed for DPMC by former Director of the Domestic and
External Security Group Steve Long on any topic, since 2010, and if so, what is the
title and date of publication.

As advised above, DPMC has conducted an extensive search and can find no other review
material authored by Steve Long.
2) If any reviews of the counter-terrorism system were completed for DPMC from 2010
to 2018 (besides "Counter-Terrorism: A review of the New Zealand CT landscape" by
Simon Murdoch, 2013), and if so what are their titles and dates of publication.”

This part of your request is refused under 18(e) of the Act as the document(s) alleged to contain
the information requested does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be
found.

Additional Information

In  addition  to  your  OIA  request,  for  your  interest  please  also  find  attached  the  below  two
documents that detail New Zealand’s strategy for countering terrorism and violent extremism.

•  New Zealand’s Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism Strategy
•  Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism Strategy Overview
The Government takes national security and the security of New Zealanders seriously. The
aim of our Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism Strategy is to bring our nation together
to protect all New Zealanders from terrorism and violent extremism of all kinds.

Terrorism is a global challenge, and we work closely with our international partners to reduce
the  risk  of  New  Zealand  and  our  region  being  either  a  target  or  source  of  terrorism.  Our
terrorism and violent extremism challenges are evolving, driven by increasingly complex and
convoluted ideologies.

A number of agencies are responsible for collectively maintaining New Zealand’s security to
keep  our  communities  safe.  Our  security  agencies  work  closely  together  to  detect  and
investigate  threats,  and to share  information  and  resources to  enable  effective  preventative
action.  We  work  in  partnership  with  the  public,  communities,  the  private  sector  and  local
government to reduce the risk of terrorism and violent extremism of all kinds.

The  Government  is  committed  to  addressing  the  online  environment  that  enabled  the
Christchurch  terrorist  to  use  the  internet  as  a  weapon,  working  closely  with  international
partners,  the  private  sector  and  civil  society.  The  aim  is  to  eliminate  terrorist  and  violent
extremist content online without compromising essential freedoms, or the internet’s role as a
force for good.

In making my decision, I have taken the public interest considerations in section 9(1) of the Act
into account.
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You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision under section
28(3) of the Act.

We  do  not  intend  to  publish  this  response  on  the  Department  of  the  Prime  Minister  and
Cabinet’s website.

Yours sincerely

Tony Lynch
Deputy Chief Executive
National Security Group
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