5 July 2022
Lance D. Lavery
[FYI request #19601 email] Tēnā koe Lance D. Lavery
Thank you for your email of 5 June 2022 in which you request the following under the Official
Information Act 1982 (OIA):
As Minister of Foreign affairs and therefore acting Principal, why did you or your agent/s
advise the Mayor of Wellington Andrew Forster not to allow memorial lights to be lit up on the
Michael Fowler Centre for Shareen Abu Akleh?
Of all Ministers in Parliament you should know very well the negative impacts of oppression
and occupation. Your own Tainui people historically, have suffered due to these inhumane
and barbaric practices.
In closing I leave you with some quotes and a whakatauki to consider.
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an
elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will
not appreciate your neutrality." - Bishop Desmond Tutu.
"Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, the crocodile will eat him last. All of
them hope that the storm will pass before their turn comes to be devoured. But I fear greatly
that the storm will not pass. It will rage and it will roar ever more loudly, ever more widely." -
Sir Winston Churchill.
“Ki te kahore he whakakitenga ka ngaro te iwi” - Kingi Tāwhiao Tūkāroto Pōtatau Te
Wherowhero.
You have requested why I or my agents advised the Mayor of Wellington Andrew Forster not to
allow memorial lights to be lit up on the Michael Fowler Centre for Shareen Abu Akleh.
Neither I, nor Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (the Ministry) officials, provided advice to
Wellington Mayor Foster in relation to lighting up the Michael Fowler Centre in response to the
death of Shareen Abu Akleh. Therefore, I refuse your request under section 18(e) of the OIA, as
the information you requested does not exist.
The Ministry was approached by the Wellington City Council for its views on the proposal to
project the Palestinian flag on to the Michael Fowler Centre on Nakba Day, and asked whether
doing so would give offence to the Israeli Embassy. The Ministry responded to a specific
question, in a specific set of circumstances. The decision was for the Council to take, which was
clear in the advice from the Ministry.
Page 2 of 2
The Ministry has reconsidered the advice it provided, particularly whether the Ministry should
have made a recommendation to the Council. Future responses from the Ministry will be limited
to providing New Zealand’s international policy settings on an issue.
For your information, I have included the advice from the Ministry provided to Mayor Foster in
Annex One. Some portions of the information are withheld under the following sections of the OIA:
6(a): to avoid prejudicing the security or defence of New Zealand or the international relations
of the New Zealand Government;
9(2)(g)(i): to protect the free and frank expression of opinions by departments; and
9(2)(g)(ii): to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the protection of officials
from improper pressure or harassment.
Where information has been withheld under section 9 of the OIA, no public interest in releasing the
information has been identified that would override the reasons for withholding it.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision by
contactin
g www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa
Hon Nanaia Mahuta
Minita Take Aorere / Minister of Foreign Affairs