17 January 2023
Adam Irish
[FYI request #21468 email]
Ref: OIA-2022/23-0452
Dear Adam Irish
Official Information Act request relating to political foreign influence
Thank you for your request made under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act), received
on 20 December 2022. Your request asked (numbers added for ease of reference):
“[1] What safeguards are in place to protect political parties and politicians from foreign
undue influence.
[2] Does the Prime Minister receive security briefing and information on donations or
transactions from foreign countries to politicians and public figures.
[3] What safe guards are in place to ensure political parties and politicians across the
political spectrum are not receiving funding or benefit from foreign governments or
entities or individuals with close ties foreign governments. That create undue
influence on those individuals.
[4] Has the Prime Minister received any briefing on donations or transactions made
from individuals close to the Chinese Communist Party to the Rt Hon John Key. Has
his property sales and business dealings been evaluated to ensure he is not
beholden to foreign interests.
[5] What risk management framework is in place to ensure public figures that influence
the public have not been compromised.”
Part [1] of your request asks about the safeguards in place to protect New Zealand’s political
system from foreign interference. I refer you to the Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet (DPMC) website page “
Countering foreign interference”. You can access this at:
dpmc.govt.nz/our-programmes/national-security/countering-foreign-interference. This section
sets out the systems in place to protect New Zealand from foreign interference including the
different roles the government and relevant government agencies have with ensuring this
protection.
Parts [2] and [4] of your request ask about briefings received by the Prime Minister. These
parts of your request are more closely connected to the functions of the Prime Minister,
Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern. Accordingly, I have decided under section 14(b)(ii) of the Act to
transfer these two parts of your request to the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister has the usual timeframes under the Act from receipt of this transfer to
make a decision on these parts of your request.
Part [3] of your request asks about safeguards for the funding of political parties and
politicians and I believe it is more closely connected to the functions of the Ministry of
Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
4696069
64 4 817 9698 www.dpmc.govt.nz
Justice. Accordingly, I have decided under section 14(b)(ii) of the Act to transfer this part of
your request to the Ministry of Justice.
The Ministry of Justice has the usual timeframes under the Act from receipt of this transfer to
make a decision on these parts of your request.
Part [5] of your request asks what risk management framework is in place to ensure public
figures that influence the public have not been compromised. I can confirm there is no risk
management framework for ensuring public figures have not been compromised. I am,
therefore, refusing this part of your request under section 18(e) of the Act as the requested
information does not exist.
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 DPMC’s website.
Yours sincerely
Christopher Gray
Chief of Staff
National Security Group
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