3 August 2022
Harold
By email:
[FYI request #19960 email]
Ref: OIA-2021/22-1529
Dear Harold
Official Information Act request for advice relating to Strengthening New Zealand’s
Resilience to Misinformation and Disinformation
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request received on 19 July 2022.
You provided some context to your request, advising this was a follow-up to the responses
you received from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) on 26 May
2022 and 21 July 2021 respectively. You requested:
ONE: I would like to request a copy of the January 2021 briefing paper
“Strengthening New Zealand’s Resilience to Mis/Disinformation
”, including the
attachment, with the information previously withheld under 9(2)(f)(iv) disclosed
as per Ombudsman’s guidance.
TWO: A copy of the draft framework for strengthening resilience to
mis/disinformation that was previously withheld citing 9(2)(g)(i). If there have
been multiple draft versions of the framework produced I would like this to be
taken to mean all draft versions.”
DPMC January 2021 briefing “Strengthening New Zealand’s Resilience to Mis /
Disinformation”
We have carefully considered part one of your request for the information withheld previously
under section 9(2)(f)(iv) of the Act in the January 2021 DPMC briefing to the Prime Minister
and Minister for National Security and Intelligence “
Strengthening New Zealand’s Resilience
to Mis/Disinformation”. Although some time has passed since this briefing was first provided
in early 2021, I can confirm that the information withheld previously in this briefing under
section 9(2)(f)(iv) concerns matters which are still under active consideration by the Minister.
DPMC's view remains that this information still needs to be withheld to enable the Minister to
continue to take advice on the issue of misinformation and disinformation without premature
disclosure while decisions are still being formed.
Accordingly, I am refusing your request for the release of the information previously withheld
under section 9(2)(f)(iv), including the information in the Annex to this briefing to continue to
maintain the confidentiality of advice tendered by or to Ministers and officials.
Draft strategic framework for strengthening resilience to mis / disinformation
The only document relevant to this part of your request is an initial working draft document
which was exploratory in nature. It was not developed further into formal advice. I have
decided to continue to withhold this working draft document under section 9(2)(g)(i) of the
Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
4595542
64 4 817 9698 www.dpmc.govt.nz
Act, to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank expression
of opinion.
As previously advised in our response to you of 26 May 2022 [DPMC OIA 2021-22-1234
refers], DPMC’s strategic approach to misinformation and disinformation has continued to
evolve as the situation has changed over time. While a strategic framework was initially
proposed, our focus has since shifted to ensuring connection and consistency across
different work programmes in addressing misinformation and disinformation. For example,
the document ‘
Communications approach for COVID-19 disinformation, online harms and
scams’ dated 23 February and released to you on 12 July 2022 [DPMC OIA 2021-22-1470
refers] reflects that for a period the work narrowed to focus on approaches to address
COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation. The strategic framework was not pursued as a
stand-alone document as part of this COVID-19 work.
No public interest in releasing the withheld information has been identified that would be
sufficient to override the reasons for withholding it.
I remind you that 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
Dan Eaton
Acting Deputy Chief Executive
National Security Group
4595542
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