23 February 2022
Craig Innes
[FYI request #18131 email]
Ref: OIA-2021/22-0928
Dear Craig Innes
Official Information Act request relating to Belt and Road Initiative briefings
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request of 10 January 2022 that
was transferred to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) on 27 January
2022. You requested:
“Please provide all briefings and all other information put before the Prime
Minister relating to any project(s) or programme(s) that might be characterised as
relating to the Belt and Road Initiative. This includes any and all information
relating to loans obtained from any Chinese government source whether or not
that source was directly identified as part of the so called 'Belt and Road.”
Your request was transferred to both DPMC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
This response covers any relevant information provided by DPMC to the Prime Minister.
Within scope of your request are briefing notes provided to the Prime Minister by DPMC’s
Policy Advisory Group. These briefings are provided to the Prime Minister in confidence, in
order to support her in her role as leader of the Government and chair of Cabinet and
therefore are withheld in full under the following sections of the Act:
• section 6(a), to protect the security or defence of New Zealand or the international
relations of New Zealand;
• section 9(2)(f)(ii), to maintain collective and individual ministerial responsibility;
• section 9(2)(f)(iv), to maintain the confidentiality of advice tendered by or to Ministers
and officials;
• section 9(2)(g)(i), to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free
and frank expression of opinion.
Additionally, two assessment reports prepared for the Prime Minister by the National
Assessments Bureau are within scope of your request and are withheld in full under the
following sections of the Act:
• section 6(a), to protect the security or defence of New Zealand or the international
relations of New Zealand;
• section 6(b)(i), to protect the entrusting of information to the Government of New
Zealand by the Government of another country.
In making my decision, I have taken the public interest considerations in section 9(1) of the
Act into account.
Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
4487638
64 4 817 9698 www.dpmc.govt.nz
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
Anneliese Parkin
Deputy Chief Executive, Policy
4487638
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