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This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Official Information request 'COVID-19 inoculations and culpability for human rights violations, crimes against humanity, and/or war crimes'.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
25 March 2022 
 
 
 
[FYI request #17826 email]  
 
Ref: OIA-2021/22-0714 
Tēnā koe ASE 
 
Official Information Act request relating to vaccines, human rights, crimes against 
humanity and war crimes 
 
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request received on 3 December 
2021. You requested: 
 
1.  Is The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet aware of any long-term safety 
data for any COVID-19 inoculations? If so, what is that data? 
2.  Is The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet aware of any long-term 
efficacy data for any COVID-19 inoculations? If so, what is that data? 
3.  What consideration within The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has 
been given to the status of COVID-19 inoculations as “experimental” medical 
treatments? What scientific and medical basis does The Department of the Prime 
Minister and Cabinet have for asserting that COVID-19 inoculations are not 
“experimental” medical treatments? If this has not been considered within The 
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, then why has this not been 
considered? 
4.  What contingency plans have been considered within The Department of the Prime 
Minister and Cabinet, if COVID-19 inoculations may prove to be unsafe, ineffective, 
unnecessary, and/or otherwise harmful to personal health and/or public health (as 
“public health” is general y understood)? If this has not been considered within The 
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, then why has this not been 
considered? 
5.  In consideration of positions, polices, and/or legislation (including, but not limited to 
messaging and medical advice, col ective punishments, and segregation) which 
may appear as intent to use force, fraud, deceit, duress, over-reaching, or other 
ulterior forms of constraint or coercion to encourage, incentivize, or otherwise 
promote COVID-19 inoculations, what consideration within The Department of the 
Prime Minister and Cabinet has been given to the effects of such positions, polices, 
and/or legislation respecting healthcare providers' legal and ethical obligations to 
empower their patients to exercise their rights of informed consent (including rights 
of informed refusal)? How do such positions, polices, and/or legislation respect 
patients' rights regarding informed consent (including rights of informed refusal)? If 
this has not been considered within The Department of the Prime Minister and 
Cabinet, then why has this not been considered? 
6.  In consideration of positions, polices, and/or legislation (including, but not limited to 
messaging and medical advice, col ective punishments, and segregation) which 
may appear as intent to use force, fraud, deceit, duress, over-reaching, or other 
 
 
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Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011 
 
  64 4 817 9698  www.dpmc.govt.nz 
 
 
 
ulterior forms of constraint or coercion to encourage, incentivize, or otherwise 
promote COVID-19 inoculations, what consideration within The Department of the 
Prime Minister and Cabinet has been given to the effects of such positions, polices, 
and/or legislation respecting individual human rights (including human rights as 
recognised under national and international frameworks), such as individual human 
rights to privacy and confidentiality of medical information; and individual human 
rights to refuse medical treatment, with or without reason? If this has not been 
considered within The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, then why has 
this not been considered? 
7.  In consideration of the questions raised above, and related matters, what 
consideration within The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has been 
given to the possibility that positions, polices, and/or legislation (including, but not 
limited to messaging and medical advice, collective punishments, and segregation) 
which may appear as intent to use force, fraud, deceit, duress, over-reaching, or 
other ulterior forms of constraint or coercion to encourage, incentivize, or otherwise 
promote COVID-19 inoculations, may expose proponents, advocates, and/or actors 
on behalf of such positions, polices, and/or legislation to culpability for human rights 
violations, crimes against humanity, and/or war crimes? If this has not been 
considered within The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, then why has 
this not been considered?” 
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) is only in a position to respond to 
your request in relation to any relevant information held by this agency. As advised in the 
letter dated 24 March 2022 from DPMC, questions 1 and 2 of your request  have been 
transferred to the Ministry of Health as the information requested is more closely connected 
to the functions of this agency.  
 
The time frame for responding to your request was extended under section 15A of the Act by 
20 working days because it necessitated consultations to be undertaken before a decision 
could be made on the request. Following this extension, I am now in a position to respond. I 
apologise for the additional delay in responding to your request. 
 
You  have  asked  about  COVID-19  vaccines,  and  firstly  I  would  like  to  provide  important 
context. The deployment of highly effective and safe vaccine enables more options for both 
domestic  measures  and  border  settings.  The  COVID-19  Protection  Framework  (the  Traffic 
Lights  system)  aims to minimise  the  spread  of  disease  without  relying  on  lockdowns. 
Vaccinating,  effectively  testing,  tracing  and  isolating,  and  controlling  the  virus through this 
framework, reduces the frequency, size and speed of outbreaks.  
 
COVID-19 vaccines  are not experimental.  Medsafe  checks  applications  for  all  new 
medicines,  including  vaccines  to  make  sure  they  meet  international  standards  and  local 
requirements. Medsafe has given the Pfizer vaccine provisional approval (with conditions) for 
use in New Zealand. This means it is been formally approved, but Pfizer must give Medsafe 
ongoing data and reporting to show that it meets international standards.  Please note that 
DPCM is not responsible for approving vaccines in New Zealand. 
 
More information about vaccine clinical trials and the development of the vaccine is available 
through the Ministry of Health. The relevant Ministry’s website link is set out below: 
 
https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-vaccines-
available-new-zealand/covid-19-vaccine-clinical-trials-and-testing 
 
Your request also asks what consideration DPMC has given to human rights in developing 
the COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate policy. In formulating this policy, we have considered 
the  distinct  rights  and  interests  of  Māori,  as  well  as  the  health  outcomes  for  the  wider 
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population while assessing related issues such as equity, feasibility, employment, access to 
lifeline services, human rights, privacy and the Treaty of Waitangi. The policy process has 
been aware that vaccine requirements have the potential to deny access to everyday 
services to people who are legally exercising their right not to be vaccinated. Acknowledging 
that vaccine requirements limit people’s access, Cabinet agreed that providers of life-
preserving basic needs wil  be prohibited from introducing vaccine requirements.  
 
DPMC has released key decision making documents relating to the Government’s response 
to  COVID-19  including  the  COVID-19  Vaccination  Certificate.  I draw your attention to the 
following documents: 
 
•  Joint Briefing: Initial advice on the domestic use of COVID-19 vaccination 
certificates, dated 17 September 2021 
•  Joint Briefing: The domestic use of COVID-19 vaccination certificates in high risk 
settings, dated 24 September 2021 
•  Cabinet paper: COVID-19: A Strategy for a Highly Vaccinated New Zealand, dated 
27 September 2021 
•  Brief Insights Report – Details on different countries’ approaches to domestic 
COVID-19 vaccine passes, dated 1 October 2021 
•  Cabinet paper: COVID-19: A Strategy for a Highly Vaccinated New Zealand: Report 
Back, dated 4 October 2021 
•  Joint Briefing: COVID-19 vaccine certificates – settings for domestic use, dated 14 
October 2021 
•  Cabinet paper: COVID-19: Confirming a strategy for a highly vaccinated New 
Zealand, dated 18 October 2021 
•  Cabinet paper: COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates: Implementation in domestic 
settings, dated 26 October 2021 
•  Briefing:  COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates: Further advice on prohibited settings, 
dated 5 November 
 
These documents are publicly available and can be found on the Unite Against COVID-19 
website:  
 
https://covid19.govt.nz/about-our-covid-19-response/proactive-releases/alert-levels-and-
restrictions/.  
 
This part of your request therefore  is  refused  under  section  18(d)  of  the  Act  as the 
information requested is publicly available. 
You  have  the  right  to  ask  the  Ombudsman  to  investigate  and  review  my  decision  under 
section 28(3) of the Act. 
 
This response may be published on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s 
website during our regular publication cycle. Typically, information is released monthly, or as 
otherwise determined. Your personal information including name and contact details wil  be 
removed for publication. 
 
Yours sincerely 
 
 
 
 
Cheryl Barnes 
Deputy Chief Executive 
COVID-19 Response 
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