11 May 2023
Mark Shelly
[FYI request #22477 email]
Ref: OIA-2022/23-0815
Dear Mark Shelly
Official Information Act request relating to monthly spend on COVID-19 public
information campaigns
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request received on 16 April 2023.
You requested:
“Please advise a monthly spend from March 2020 to now on public information
campaigns in support of New Zealand's COVID-19 response. I ask that these include
but not be limited to the costs for the Unite Against COVID-19 Campaign and the
Vaccine Campaign.
If spends are not available by month then provide in what ever temporal division you
have them and in total.
Please also provide a list of each and every individual public information campaign
conducted in support of New Zealand's COVID-19 response and the spend for each
campaign in the most granulated form that you have (both in terms of what component
of the campaign the spend was on and when the spend was made) as well as in total.”
On 1 May 2023 the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet partially transferred your
request to Te Whatu Ora. I understand that you also submitted the same request to Te
Whatu Ora. For the avoidance of doubt, I can advise that DPMC delivered the Unite Against
COVID-19 campaign up to 15 November 2022 and the Vaccine Campaign up to 30 June
2022. These campaigns then transferred to Te Whatu Ora to administer.
Please find attached a breakdown of advertising spend for the Unite Against COVID-19
Campaign and the Vaccine Campaign. Please note these figures includes all campaign
costs, such as advertising, website, printing, translations. These figures exclude GST,
personnel or operating costs. Please also note that payments / credits listed after 15
November 2022 relate to delayed invoicing and are associated to the period that DPMC held
responsibility for the COVID-19 advertising campaigns.
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision under
section 28(3) of the Act.
Yours sincerely
Chris Gianos
Head of Risk and Assurance
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
4744329
Executive Wing, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
64 4 817 9698 www.dpmc.govt.nz