3 March 2022
Heather Darby
[FYI request #18326 email]
Tēnā koe Heather
I refer to you your email transferred by the Ministry of Health on 15 February 2022,
requesting the following information:
Please provide the risk assessment carried for teaching staff to support the Pfizer
mandate with reference to the toxicity reported in the Pfizer safety data sheet.
Your request has been considered under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (the Act).
I note that you previously made the same request to the Ministry of Education on
26 January 2022. In response, we advised that the information requested did not exist, as
the Ministry’s role is to implement Cabinet’s decisions and the resulting legislation as they
relate to the education sector, and risk assessment of the Pfizer vaccine is not part of that
implementation role. The COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order 2021 is
administered by the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Education and schools were not
required to undertake a risk assessment under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
before the Order was made.
We have therefore transferred your request back to the Ministry of Health in accordance with
sections 14(b)(i) and (i ) of the Act. We regret the misunderstanding regarding the nature of
your request that appears to have led to the original transfer, and any inconvenience this has
caused. We have clarified the situation with the Ministry of Health, and you may expect a
response from them directly.
Nāku noa, nā
Emma Drysdale
Manager, Official and Parliamentary Information
Government, Executive and Ministerial Services
OIA: [insert METIS number here]
National Of ice, Mātauranga House, 33 Bowen Street, Wellington 6011
PO Box 1666, Wel ington 6140. Phone: +64 4 463 8000 Fax: +64 4 463 8001
education.govt.nz