Kia ora Tracy,
Please see attached a letter regarding your request for official
information.

Ngā mihi 

  

OIA Services Team

Manatū Hauora | Ministry of Health

M[1]inistry of Health information releases 
U[2]nite against COVID-19 

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Tēnā koe, 

 

Thank you for contacting Te Whatu Ora, Health NZ. This is an automatic
reply to confirm that we have received your email.  Depending on the
nature of your request you may not receive a response for up to 20 working
days.  We will try to respond to your query as quickly as possible.

s information that is identified to be of general public interest, the
response may also be published on our website. If we e response to your
OIA request, all personal information, including your name and contact
details will be removed.

 

Ngā mihi

 

Te Whatu Ora, Health NZ.

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Kia ora Tracy
 
Thank you for your request of 9 February 2023 for the following
information:
 
“to the Director of the National Immunisation Programme, Astrid Koornneef,
Regarding your statement "We know that immunisations are critically
important to the health of our tamariki. Having access to a COVID-19
vaccine will provide protection to younger children who would otherwise be
at risk of severe illness if they were to get COVID-19,” she said." here:
[1]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
Please 1) provide the data that you used to make the above statement, that
shows the Covid-19 vaccine will a)  provide protection for children from
getting covid and b) preventing children from severe covid illness
2)  provide the data that you used to make the statement "we know
immunisations are critically important to the health of our tamariki".
3)  clarify if Covid-19 gene therapy injection for this age group has
"provisional consent" or "Medsafe approval" - I thought that they were two
different things.
4) confirm that you have read the data regarding Comirnaty BioNTech
injection being associated with acute kidney disease
[2]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
:https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
"[3]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
that shows greatly increased rate of AKI and myo/pericarditis here in New
Zealand
5) confirm that you have read the CARM reports regarding Comirnaty
BioNTech injection being associated with myocarditis, pericarditis and
death (CARM, based on information at the AEFI-line-listing)
([4]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...) 
6) Please provide the Pfizer trial data that shows Comirnaty BioNTech is
safe for under fiver year olds including the data given to you and Medsafe
that allowed it to have provisional consent.”
 
This correspondence is to advise you that we have transferred your request
in part to Manatû Hauora Ministry of Health (the Ministry). This is
because the information to which your request relates, specifically parts
1 and 2 of your request, is not held by Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand
but is believed to be more closely connected with the functions of the
Ministry. In these circumstances, we are required by section 14 of the
Official Information Act to transfer your request. We have outlined these
parts below,

“Please 1) provide the data that you used to make the above statement,
that shows the Covid-19 vaccine will a) provide protection for children
from getting covid and b) preventing children from severe covid illness
2) provide the data that you used to make the statement "we know
immunisations are critically important to the health of our tamariki".”

You should expect to hear from the Ministry in due course about your
request. If you need to get in touch with the Ministry, you can contact
them at [5][email address]. 
 
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a
complaint to the Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available
at [6]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602. 

Please treat this letter as a formal transfer of this aspect of the
request under section 14 of the Official Information Act.  
 
Ngâ mihi  
 
Te Whatu Ora Ministerial Team
Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
 
****************************************************************************
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distribute or copy this message or attachments.
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References

Visible links
1. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
2. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
3. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
4. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
5. mailto:[email address]
6. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/

hide quoted sections

Tçnâ koe Tracy
 
Official information request HNZ00010969

I refer to your official information request received on 9 February 2023
for the following:

“to the Director of the National Immunisation Programme, Astrid Koornneef,
Regarding your statement "We know that immunisations are critically
important to the health of our tamariki. Having access to a COVID-19
vaccine will provide protection to younger children who would otherwise be
at risk of severe illness if they were to get COVID-19,” she said." here:
[1]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
Please 1) provide the data that you used to make the above statement, that
shows the Covid-19 vaccine will a)  provide protection for children from
getting covid and b) preventing children from severe covid illness
2)  provide the data that you used to make the statement "we know
immunisations are critically important to the health of our tamariki".
3)  clarify if Covid-19 gene therapy injection for this age group has
"provisional consent" or "Medsafe approval" - I thought that they were two
different things.
4) confirm that you have read the data regarding Comirnaty BioNTech
injection being associated with acute kidney disease
[2]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
:https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
"[3]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
that shows greatly increased rate of AKI and myo/pericarditis here in New
Zealand
5) confirm that you have read the CARM reports regarding Comirnaty
BioNTech injection being associated with myocarditis, pericarditis and
death (CARM, based on information at the AEFI-line-listing)
([4]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...) 
6) Please provide the Pfizer trial data that shows Comirnaty BioNTech is
safe for under fiver year olds including the data given to you and Medsafe
that allowed it to have provisional consent.”

As previously stated, parts 1 and 2 of your request has been transferred
to Manatû Hauora Ministry of Health. Further to our below email, this
correspondence is to notify you that we are also transferring part 6 of
your original request as that information is not held by Te Whatu Ora
Health New Zealand but is believed to be more closely connected with the
functions of the Ministry. We are required by section 14 of the Official
Information Act to transfer your request. We have outlined this part
below,

"6) Please provide the Pfizer trial data that shows Comirnaty BioNTech is
safe for under fiver year olds including the data given to you and Medsafe
that allowed it to have provisional consent.”

You should expect to hear from the Ministry in due course about your
request. As you know, if you need to get in touch with the Ministry, you
can contact them at [5][email address]. 
 
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a
complaint to the Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available
at [6]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602. 

Please treat this email as a formal transfer of this aspect of the request
under section 14 of the Official Information Act.  
 
Ngâ mihi  
 
Te Whatu Ora Ministerial Team
Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
 
 
 
------------------- Original Message -------------------
From: HNZ OIA <[email address]>;
Received: Mon Feb 27 2023 09:30:43 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
To: Tracy Lvingston <[FOI #21782 email]>;
Subject: Transfer of your request for official information HNZ00010969
CRM:0316070

Kia ora Tracy
 
Thank you for your request of 9 February 2023 for the following
information:
 
“to the Director of the National Immunisation Programme, Astrid Koornneef,
Regarding your statement "We know that immunisations are critically
important to the health of our tamariki. Having access to a COVID-19
vaccine will provide protection to younger children who would otherwise be
at risk of severe illness if they were to get COVID-19,” she said." here:
[7]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
Please 1) provide the data that you used to make the above statement, that
shows the Covid-19 vaccine will a)  provide protection for children from
getting covid and b) preventing children from severe covid illness
2)  provide the data that you used to make the statement "we know
immunisations are critically important to the health of our tamariki".
3)  clarify if Covid-19 gene therapy injection for this age group has
"provisional consent" or "Medsafe approval" - I thought that they were two
different things.
4) confirm that you have read the data regarding Comirnaty BioNTech
injection being associated with acute kidney disease
[8]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
:https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
"[9]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
that shows greatly increased rate of AKI and myo/pericarditis here in New
Zealand
5) confirm that you have read the CARM reports regarding Comirnaty
BioNTech injection being associated with myocarditis, pericarditis and
death (CARM, based on information at the AEFI-line-listing)
([10]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...) 
6) Please provide the Pfizer trial data that shows Comirnaty BioNTech is
safe for under fiver year olds including the data given to you and Medsafe
that allowed it to have provisional consent.”
 
This correspondence is to advise you that we have transferred your request
in part to Manatû Hauora Ministry of Health (the Ministry). This is
because the information to which your request relates, specifically parts
1 and 2 of your request, is not held by Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand
but is believed to be more closely connected with the functions of the
Ministry. In these circumstances, we are required by section 14 of the
Official Information Act to transfer your request. We have outlined these
parts below,

“Please 1) provide the data that you used to make the above statement,
that shows the Covid-19 vaccine will a) provide protection for children
from getting covid and b) preventing children from severe covid illness
2) provide the data that you used to make the statement "we know
immunisations are critically important to the health of our tamariki".”

You should expect to hear from the Ministry in due course about your
request. If you need to get in touch with the Ministry, you can contact
them at [11][email address]. 
 
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a
complaint to the Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available
at [12]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602. 

Please treat this letter as a formal transfer of this aspect of the
request under section 14 of the Official Information Act.  
 
Ngâ mihi  
 
Te Whatu Ora Ministerial Team
Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
 
****************************************************************************
Statement of confidentiality: This e-mail message and any accompanying
attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to
legal privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate,
distribute or copy this message or attachments.
If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender
immediately and delete this message.
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References

Visible links
1. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
2. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
3. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
4. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
5. mailto:[email address]
6. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
7. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
8. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
9. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
10. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
11. mailto:[email address]
12. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/

hide quoted sections

Kia ora Tracy 
 
 
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), received as a partial transfer from Te Whatu Ora - Health New
Zealand. You requested:
 
“to the Director of the National Immunisation Programme, Astrid Koornneef,
Regarding your statement  "We know that immunisations are critically
important to the health of our tamariki. Having access to a COVID-19
vaccine will provide protection to younger children who would otherwise be
at risk of severe illness if they were to get COVID-19,” she said." here:
https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
Please 1) provide the data that you used to make the above statement, that
shows the Covid-19 vaccine will a)  provide protection for children from
getting covid and b) preventing children from severe covid illness 
2)  provide the data that you used to make the statement "we know
immunisations are critically important to the health of our tamariki".
 
In response to the first part of your request, please refer to the
publicly available memo from the COVID-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group
(CV TAG) entitled, The use of Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for children
aged 6 months to 4 years: COVID-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group {CV
TAG) recommendations:
[1]https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/...
 
Turning to the second part of your request, childhood vaccination is a
well-known global method of protecting against potential life-long
debilitating diseases, as well as more mild illnesses that have the
potential to lead to severe, yet preventable conditions such as polio,
meningitis, measles, and other vaccine-preventable diseases. Please see
the resources below for information on the importance of vaccination:

* Health Navigator New Zealand:
[2]www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/c/childhood-immunisation/#:~:text=Vaccination%20protects%20your%20child%20from,they%20are%206%20weeks%20old
* The World Health Organization:
[3]www.who.int/health-topics/vaccines-and-immunization#tab=tab_1
* The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention:
[4]www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/why-vaccinate/vaccine-decision.html

I trust this information fulfils your request. Under section 28(3) of the
Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review any decisions made
under this request. The Ombudsman may be contacted by email at:
[email address] or by calling 0800 802 602.
 
Ngâ mihi
 
OIA Services Team
Manatû Hauora
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distribute or copy this message or attachments.
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References

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1. mailto:https//www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/pages/memo-cv-tag-recommendations-for-vaccinations-in-children-under-five.pdf
2. https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/healt...
3. https://www.who.int/health-topics/vaccin...
4. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/why-...

hide quoted sections

Tçnâ koe Tracy,
 
Decision on your Official Information Act request, reference: HNZ00010969
 
Thank you for your email on 9 February 2023, asking for the following
which has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act). Please find a response to each part of your request below.
“to the Director of the National Immunisation Programme, Astrid Koornneef,
Regarding your statement  "We know that immunisations are critically
important to the health of our tamariki. Having access to a COVID-19
vaccine will provide protection to younger children who would otherwise be
at risk of severe illness if they were to get COVID-19,” she said." here:
[1]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
Please 1) provide the data that you used to make the above statement, that
shows the Covid-19 vaccine will a)  provide protection for children from
getting covid and b) preventing children from severe covid illness
2)  provide the data that you used to make the statement "we know
immunisations are critically important to the health of our tamariki".
3)  clarify if Covid-19 gene therapy injection for this age group has
"provisional consent" or "Medsafe approval" - I thought that they were two
different things.
4) confirm that you have read the data regarding Comirnaty BioNTech
injection being associated with acute kidney disease
[2]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
:https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
"[3]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
that shows greatly increased rate of AKI and myo/pericarditis here in New
Zealand
5) confirm that you have read the CARM reports regarding Comirnaty
BioNTech injection being associated with myocarditis, pericarditis and
death (CARM, based on information at the AEFI-line-listing)
([4]https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...) 
6) Please provide the Pfizer trial data that shows Comirnaty BioNTech is
safe for under fiver year olds including the data given to you and Medsafe
that allowed it to have provisional consent.”
 
As you were advised on 27 February 2023 and also on 2 march 2023, Te Whatu
Ora has transferred parts 1, 2 and 6 of your request to Manatû Hauora (the
Ministry of Health).

Under the Act, we are required to make a decision on whether or not to
grant a request for official information within the time limits set out in
section 15(1). Section 15A(1) also applies in cases where an extension of
time has been applied. In compliance with those sections, we can advise
you that we are granting your request in reference to parts 3, 4 and 5.
Unfortunately, however, it has taken longer than expected to consult about
the information within scope of your request.

Please note, we intend to provide a response and we acknowledge this may
be frustrating, although, we want to ensure we provide you with the
relevant information once the appropriate consultations have been
completed. We expect for you to have a response no later than 24 March
2023. We will be in contact in due course.

How to get in touch

Please contact us at [5][email address] if you have any questions.
 
If you are not happy with this extension, you have the right to make a
complaint to the Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available
at [6]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602. 

Ngâ mihi,

Ministerials Team
Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
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legal privilege.
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distribute or copy this message or attachments.
If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender
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References

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1. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
2. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
3. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
4. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
5. mailto:[email address]
6. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/

hide quoted sections

Tçnâ koe Tracy,
 
Please find attached our response to your request for official information
- thank you for your patience.

Please contact us at [1][email address] if you have any questions.
 
If you are not happy with this extension, you have the right to make a
complaint to the Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available
at [2]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602. 

Ngâ mihi,

Ministerials Team
Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
 
****************************************************************************
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distribute or copy this message or attachments.
If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender
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2. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/

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