[UNCLASSIFIED]

Kia ora Jorja

 

Thank you for your OIA request received on 23 January 2024 for:

Copies of any briefings, reports, memos, or aides-memoire that have been
commissioned by the Minister in relation to the conflict in Gaza since 7
October 2023

 

Copies of any briefings, reports, memos, or aides-memoire that have been
provided to senior Ministry officials in relation to the conflict in Gaza
since 7 October 2023

 

Copies of any meeting agendas, minutes, or notes regarding meetings that
have been attended by the Minister in relation to the conflict in Gaza
since 7 October 2023, including Agency and Officials meetings

 

Copies of any meeting agendas, minutes, or notes regarding meetings that
have been attended by senior Ministry officials in relation to the
conflict in Gaza since 7 October 2023, including Agency and Officials
meetings

 

For the purposes of processing this request, you can interpret senior
Ministry officials to mean the Secretary and Deputy Secretaries

 

This email confirms receipt of your request and advises that we will
respond to it as soon as reasonably practicable, and in terms of the
timeframes and requirements of the OIA.

 

Please note that our response letter to you (with your personal details
redacted), and any enclosed documents, may be published on the Ministry’s
website.

 

Ngâ mihi

 

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatû Aorere

 

 

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[UNCLASSIFIED]

Tçnâ koe Jorja,

 

Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request relating to
information on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

 

The amount of information you have requested is substantial, with
potentially hundreds of emails and advice in scope which would require the
attention of our teams already under pressure monitoring the situation in
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and providing assistance
to New Zealanders. Therefore, your request as it currently stands is
likely to be refused under section 18(f) of the OIA, as the information
requested would require substantial collation and research to provide.

 

In order to avoid a refusal, we would consider refining the scope of your
request? This could be done by narrowing the timeframe of your request,
requesting a particular document, etc. The Ministry can also provide you
with a summary of the advice that has been provided to Minister’s to date.

 

It would be appreciated if you could respond to this email by midday on
Thursday 1 February 2024.

 

Any clarification or amendment of a request is considered to be a new
request for the purpose of calculating the maximum statutory timeframe for
response (section 15(1AA) of the OIA refers).

 

Many thanks,

 

 

 

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatû Aorere

 

 

 

 

 

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[UNCLASSIFIED]

Tçnâ koe Jorja,

 

Please see attached a letter regarding your official information request.

 

Kind regards,

 

 

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere

 

 

 

 

 

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[UNCLASSIFIED]

Tēnā koe Jorja,

 

On behalf of the Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade, please
find attached the response to your official information request.

 

Ngā mihi,

 

 

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere

 

 

 

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[UNCLASSIFIED]

Tēnā koe Jorja,

 

A “consular response” is a situation where the Ministry provides consular
assistance to New Zealanders in accordance with the Vienna Convention on
Consular Relations 1963. The term “response” is sometimes applied to
larger scale situations, rather than the provision of consular assistance
to an individual. More information about the Ministry’s consular services
can be found on the [1]www.mfat.govt.nz website, and in the Ministry’s
annual “Consular Snapshot” publications.

 

The terms “submission” and “informal note” are found in the Ministry’s
Style Guide. Submissions​ are the main form of communication with our
Ministers. They present information to enable decisions to be
taken, respond to requests for information, provide background information
for calls or events, and to provide summary information about Cabinet
papers. Submissions use a standard Ministry template.

 

“Informal notes” provide information to the Minister. An “Aide Memoire”
(literally a “memory aid”) provides a factual summary and is used by
Ministers when delivering interventions or taking part in (e.g. Cabinet)
discussions. Submissions and Aide Memoires use standard Ministry
templates.

 

Hopefully this helps.

 

Ngā mihi,

 

 

Executive Services Division
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade | Manatū Aorere

 

 

 

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