New Zealand Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade
Manatū Aorere
18 July 2022
195 Lambton Quay
Private Bag 18−901
Wellington 6160
New Zealand
Harold
T +64 4 439 8000
[FYI request #19395 email]
F +64 4 472 9596
OIA 28081
Tēnā koe Harold
I refer to your email of 19 May 2022 in which you request the following under the Official
Information Act 1982 (OIA):
Regarding the New Zealand Head of Embassy Fund administered by the New Zealand
Embassy to Beijing, I would like to request copies of the completed application forms
submitted by all applicants that were successful in receiving funding, for these six
funding rounds:
-2017/2018
-2018/2019
-2019/2020
-2020/2021
-2021/2022
-2022/2023
On 16 June 2022, the deadline to respond to your request was extended to 18 July 2022.
I am refusing your request for the copies of the completed application forms for successful
applicants under section 9(2)(b)(ii) of the OIA as it would be likely unreasonably to prejudice
the commercial position of the person who supplied or who is the subject of the information.
However, in order to assist your request I am able to provide a breakdown of the number of
successful applicants per year; these are outlined in the table below:
Year
Successful applicants
2017/2018
16*
2018/2019
19
2019/2020
10*
2020/2021
11*
2021/2022
11**
2022/2023
TBC
*data incomplete due to availability of records
**data only available for first round of applications
Where the information has been withheld under section 9 of the OIA, we have identified no
public interest in releasing the information that would override the reasons for withholding it.
e [MFAT request email]
w www.mfat.govt.nz
Page 2 of 2
Please note that we may publish this letter (with your personal details redacted) on the
Ministry’s website.
If you have any questions about this decision, you can contact us by email at:
[email address]. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the
Ombudsman of this decision by contacting
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone
0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Sarah Corbett
for Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade