New Zealand Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade
Manatū Aorere
6 June 2024
195 Lambton Quay
Private Bag 18−901
Wellington 6160
New Zealand
Andrew Riddell
T +64 4 439 8000
[FYI request #26287 email]
F +64 4 472 9596
OIA 29273
Tēnā koe Andrew Riddell
I refer to your email of 2 April 2024 in which you request the following under the Official
Information Act 1982 (OIA):
‘In November 2023 UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca
Albanese visited Aotearoa.
Did staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade meet Francesca Albanese during her
visit? If so, on what date? Please provide a copy of meeting notes, including any formal agenda
and minutes, emails, briefing notes and file notes and such like arising from this meeting.
Was any briefing - written or face to face - given to the Prime Minister or the Foreign
Minister on the visit by Francesca Albanese and the messages she conveyed about the
situation in Gaza? If so, please provide copies of such briefing notes and material. Note I
am referring to briefings that may have been given during her visit and briefings
subsequent to her visit.’
On 1 May 2024, the timeframes for responding to your request were extended by an additional
25 working days because responding to your request necessitated the review of a large quantity
of information, and due to the consultations necessary to make a decision on your request
(section 15A(1)(a) and 15A(1)(b) of the OIA refers).
On 1 May 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (the Ministry) advised that a substantial
number of emails had been identified as potentially being in scope of your request, and asked if
you could rescope your request to exclude that information. You advised that you do not agree to
this rescope. Accordingly, this part of your request relating to emails regarding staff from the
Ministry meeting with the Special Rapporteur is refused under section 18(f) of the OIA, as the
information requested cannot be made available without substantial collation or research.
The information relevant to the remainder your request is attached. We have withheld some parts
of this information under the following sections of the OIA:
•
6(a): to avoid prejudicing the security or defence of New Zealand or the international
relations of the New Zealand Government; and
•
9(2)(g)(i): to protect the free and frank expression of opinions by departments.
We have withheld some documents in full under section 6(a) of the OIA, to avoid prejudicing the
security or defence of New Zealand or the international relations of New Zealand.
e [MFAT request email]
w www.mfat.govt.nz
Page 2 of 2
Where the information has been withheld under section 9 of the OIA, we have identified no public
interest in releasing the information that would override the reasons for withholding it.
Please note that it is our policy to proactively release our responses to official information
requests where possible. Therefore, our response to your request (with your personal information
removed) may be published on the Ministry website:
www.mfat.govt.nz/en/about-us/contact-
us/official-information-act-responses/
If you have any questions about this decision, you can contact us by email at:
[email address]. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the
Ombudsman of this decision by contacting
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone
0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Sarah Corbett
for Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade
